Speak to My Soul - First Things First
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Matthew 6:32-34 (NIV) ~ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I absolutely LOVE this verse! As a matter of fact, I pray it over my kids each and every day before they go to school. Seriously, I do! There are FOUR key things that I pray for them as they head out into the world; 1) They would be the leaders that God created them to be, 2) That they would stand FIRM in the face of temptation, 3) That they would do the RIGHT thing even if it is the HARD thing, and 4) That they would seek HIM first in all they do.
As a matter of fact, I love this verse SO much I want to share with you what it says in The Message. Check this out.
Matthew 6:32-34 (The Message) ~ 30-33 "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.
So, as a mom who prays this over her kids (and family) each and every day, there is a responsibility for me, as the one praying, to make sure that I do that too! You know what I mean, I don’t want to be one of those “Do as I say, not as I do” moms, I want to live it, walk it, breathe it, so when my kids think of it they think of me.
Wow, those are mightly BIG shoes to fill, and unfortunately I fall short (as we all do Romans 3:23) each and every day. So, as a mom, wife, woman, daughter of the King, I want to make sure that I keep “FIRST THINGS FIRST”. For me, that is quite simply straight from God’s Word, “ seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”
When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
What a great opportunity we have been given! We are blessed with TODAY! We aren’t promised that it will be amazing, just as we aren’t promised to have a tomorrow, but we have been given this great and beautiful GIFT of today! If I, as a woman who passionately pursue’s God’s purpose each and every day, don’t STOP and SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM then chances are that I am going to be going in the wrong direction.
I will end up worrying, stressed out, planning my day based off my agenda and my emotions (that is ALWAYS scary), and probably going down the wrong road. The scary thing is that most of us (me included) do that as our default setting. It takes a conscious CHOICE to SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM instead of our own default setting.
Either we are adrift in chaos or we are individuals, created, loved, upheld and placed purposefully, exactly where we are. Can you believe that? Can you trust God for that? -Elisabeth Elliot
Listen friends, now is the perfect time, with a BRAND NEW YEAR, a FRESH start, a NEW beginning of sorts, to not only work on your health, your finances, your job, your ministry, your work, or your __________ (you can fill in the blank) you made as a New Years resolution, but BEFORE you even start to tackle those things this New Year why don’t you join me in handling FIRST THINGS FIRST, and as a believer, that would be simply SEEKING FIRST HIS KINGDOM.
Come on…let’s start the New Year as a group with a CHALLENGE!!! Let’s makes a conscious CHOICE to put FIRST THINGS FIRST in 2009 and make sure we give God ALL the glory!
Leave me a comment or drop me an email and let me know if you will be joining in on this challenge…I can’t wait to watch what God does with this!
PS – If you want, copy the verse (both versions) and put it in a place where you will see it EVERY DAY!
Joy on the Journey,
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