“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:28-34 NLT)
Sometimes God seems to get lost in the day in & day out routines of our lives. I mean, where is God in our laundry days, our trips to the grocery store, & our kid's basketball game on Tuesday night?
Am I the only one who struggles with this?
Jesus gives us the answer in his most well known sermon, the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus instructs us not to get focused on peripheral things in life. He says, "Don't worry about clothes & food." He tells us not to worry about where the necessities of life are going to come from. If he clothes the flowers & feeds the birds then surely he will take care of us, won't he?
In fact, Jesus says that we act like unbelievers when we center our world on things like this. Instead, he shows us what we are to aim our lives at.
"Seek first the kingdom of God."
In the midst of our crazy world of busyness & ballgames we must seek first the kingdom. We must have the mindset that everything we do is for the kingdom & serves the kingdom, while not serving the things.
We often times find ourselves making the good gifts of God the object of our worship & love instead of the giver. And in a culture that is obsessed with stuff Jesus says don't worry about it. Instead, seek my kingdom.
So are we kingdom seekers or thing seekers? How do we de-clutter our complicated worlds & make the kingdom of God the priority of our lives?
you are not alone in this, it seems to be our nature. i constantly have to remind myself of this. when its busy and im tired, i have to just breathe and say a little prayer (or a big prayer!) to re-center myself. especially in the day to day rut i get stuck in. i try to turn my frustrations into blessings- i GET to do dishes because my family was fed. i GET to do laundry because we have clothes, i GET to run around town like a mad woman because we are blessed with friends and obligations. its a constant struggle!!
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