But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34 NASB
THIS…These red letter verses…These words said by Jesus Christ…These God breathed directives is what we need to do each and every day of our lives.
Our daughter Holly recently had her first official, “I’m graduating from college and facing the real world”, job interview. She prepared well, had confidence while speaking that can only come from God, and is now excited about the possible opportunity that she will receive. When she excitedly told us about her experience, Tim and I were having a proud parent moment. The main advice we gave her was to seek God’s will for her life. If God wants Holly to have this position, then that is what we want. Always seek His will and not our own. Seek God first!
As godly parents, we reiterate Matthew 6:33 to our children, and try to live it by example. We can have goals and plans for our lives…that is encouraged…just know that you need to hold those plans loosely. We don’t want our desires to get in the way of God’s desire for us. What we do need to hold on tightly to is Jesus. Hold on to His love, hope, peace, compassion, confidence,…Him securely.
Speaking of holding on loosely, we are currently going through a yuck/crappy/not-wanted season in our family’s life. It was confirmed yesterday where my father-in-love’s pain is coming from. He is eaten up with cancer of the pancreas, liver, lungs, lymph nodes, and stomach lining. This is just how Wayne always lives his life…go big or go home. Tim was supposed to be on a trip to Missouri for five days, and then after being home and working for a couple of days, turn around and head out of town again for five more days to celebrate our wedding anniversary. These plans were let go. Flights and rooms were canceled and delayed for another time. God knew. God knew that Tim needed his work plans cleared for this week so that we can spend precious, quality time with his dad.
Listen, God has gone before us, before you, in whatever happens in our lives. He has been there, done that, and is still there with us/you through it all. He doesn’t want us to be afraid and worrisome. He wants us to lean on Him. Actually, He wants us to reach our arms up to Him and say, “Carry me, Daddy.” He will!
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
I pray that you will embrace God’s guidance for your life each morning. Want what he wants.
What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Tomorrow will have its own worries. Matthew 6:33-34 ERV
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
Oh, I almost forgot…I wanted to share with you what was written in the notes portion of my Life Application Study Bible for verses 33 and 34:
6:33, To “seek the Kingdom of God above all else” means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. What is really important to you? People objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly become the most important to you if you don’t actively choose to give God first place in every area of your life.
6:34, Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plants interfere wit their relationship with God. Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.