Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its
own trouble.”
If we first follow after the
righteousness of God and work for the sake of His kingdom then He
will surely provide for our earthly needs. We should not be worried
about future since the Lord will provide, so instead focus on what
God has called us to do for the day, which is further the work of His
kingdom. How often have I made plans for my life to the exclusion of
the Lord, and how often have I forgotten the work that I should be
doing for the kingdom of God so that I could focus on my own
pursuits? More often than I can remember. James 4:13-14 tells me
“Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and
such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'- yet
you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you
are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” This
speaks to the momentary nature of my life, so instead I should be
saying “If the Lord wills, tomorrow I will have breath to praise
Him for the day He has given me, then maybe I can accomplish some of
my other goals.” My main pursuit should always be God's will, and
His will for my life is that I be righteous as He is righteous. 1
Timothy 4:8 says, “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds
promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” I
know that life on earth is, as Solomon said, just dust in the wind.
So I will dedicate my time here to the praise and glory of God
through the building of His kingdom. I think the most practical
expression of this for me will be learning Spanish, since it will
help me to communicate the Gospel to the people I am serving here in
Guatemala.
~Jeremy
Matthew 6 goes on to explain the actoin I am to take as I chose not to wrry about all things that God has in control. I am to first seek His kingdom and His righeousness. The word 'seek' shows it is a continual proces in which Ikeep my gaze on Him while seeking to know more about Him. As I seek Him and not myself I will be under a deeper understanding of who God is, His power, His character, His Love and the fact that His promises are true.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul asks in his letter to Galatia "for am I seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men?" Paul explains that if he were seeking the favor of men then he would not be a bond servant of Christ. In life, we are always seeking and serving something. Are my eyes on Him completely or do I stray trying to serve both my wants and His commands?
In Acts 5 God was using the apostles to do great signs and wonders, bringing many people to believe. The High Priest became jealous and threw them into jail. During the night, an angel came, unlocked the doors and confirmed for them to continue to speak the truth in the temple. When the high priest and council discovered the gates locked and knew of the teaching in the temple they were fearful to act too violently or the people might stone them when the apostles were questioned saying 'we gave you strict orders.' Peter and the apostles simply answered "we serve God rather than man." Although not the end of the story, the apostles simple reply of -we serve God not man- in a very real and dangerous situation, needs to be my answer to situations of worry. I need to make that my first thought when worry creeps in. By letting worry over come me I am saying I am serving myself instead of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.
When I worry, am anxious, or stressed it is because I am feeling inadequate, not strong enough for the task ahead. These feelings come only when I am serving myself, thinking it is MY job to handle the load and push on. Instead I need to serve the Lord in all I do. He is adequate. He is strong enough. He is the source of my strength. I must serve Him, not myself.
~Kristin
Matthew 6 goes on to explain the actoin I am to take as I chose not to wrry about all things that God has in control. I am to first seek His kingdom and His righeousness. The word 'seek' shows it is a continual proces in which Ikeep my gaze on Him while seeking to know more about Him. As I seek Him and not myself I will be under a deeper understanding of who God is, His power, His character, His Love and the fact that His promises are true.
In Galatians 1:10, Paul asks in his letter to Galatia "for am I seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men?" Paul explains that if he were seeking the favor of men then he would not be a bond servant of Christ. In life, we are always seeking and serving something. Are my eyes on Him completely or do I stray trying to serve both my wants and His commands?
In Acts 5 God was using the apostles to do great signs and wonders, bringing many people to believe. The High Priest became jealous and threw them into jail. During the night, an angel came, unlocked the doors and confirmed for them to continue to speak the truth in the temple. When the high priest and council discovered the gates locked and knew of the teaching in the temple they were fearful to act too violently or the people might stone them when the apostles were questioned saying 'we gave you strict orders.' Peter and the apostles simply answered "we serve God rather than man." Although not the end of the story, the apostles simple reply of -we serve God not man- in a very real and dangerous situation, needs to be my answer to situations of worry. I need to make that my first thought when worry creeps in. By letting worry over come me I am saying I am serving myself instead of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.
When I worry, am anxious, or stressed it is because I am feeling inadequate, not strong enough for the task ahead. These feelings come only when I am serving myself, thinking it is MY job to handle the load and push on. Instead I need to serve the Lord in all I do. He is adequate. He is strong enough. He is the source of my strength. I must serve Him, not myself.
~Kristin
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