Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Putting God First

Today, I am reading from the book of Matthew. Jesus is trying to teach us the value of putting him first in our lives, and to put away our constant worrying about "things".
Matthew 6: 25 - 34 Jesus says,
" Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they don't sow or reap or store away food in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They don't labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So don't worry, saying, "What shall we eat or drink or wear"? For the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father KNOWS that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own".
Our human nature tends to argue to the contrary to these statements. We argue in exactly the opposite way - " But I must live, I must make so much money, I must be clothed, I must be fed".
Jesus was trying to teach us that as his disciples, we must concentrate on making our relationship to him our first priority, and when we do - he, Jehovah Jireh - which means, "God is My Provider" will make sure that our needs are met. Worrying about such things doesn't change anything, but it does have an affect on our relationship with the Lord.
It is one of the severest disciplines of the Christian life to allow the Holy Spirit to bring us into harmony with this teaching of Jesus in these verses.
My goal today is to make sure that my relationship with Jesus is where it should be, and I hope that it will be yours as well.

Janelle

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