What is your greatest struggle right now as you begin this New Year?
That can be a tough question for some of us. Maybe you’re struggling with your health. Or you might be worried about a family member. Perhaps you’re looking at your “to do” list or your finances, and you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed.
As I lined up all the issues that I needed direction with this year, I received an e-mail from my former pastor, Jack Taylor, reminding me of a powerful promise.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
After explaining the details of the scripture, Jack cautioned to his readers: “It is not enough to seek the Kingdom, it must be sought FIRST.”
How many times have I assured myself that I can claim this promise after I’ve reached the end of my resources and finally decided to seek the Lord?
I had to admit to myself (and confess to the Lord) that I don’t always seek Him FIRST!
Wow! What a convicting revelation!
Claiming God’s promise of provision does not depend upon my own efforts, trying to solve my problems first. That promise demands my obedience to His command to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness FIRST.
Then, I must choose to believe His promise to provide for my needs.
If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matt. 6:30-34 The Message)
How do you plan to overcome your struggles as you begin this New Year?
