Seek First
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look
at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single
hour to your life[a]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet
I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one
of these. 30 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—you of little faith? 31 So do not
worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well. 34 Therefore do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
I’ve had a few scares in my lifetime of various
different types – some life-threatening, all life-changing. Every time, I vow to make myself better for my
family and God. I plan to get myself on
track and meet goals that I’ve set for myself that I’ve never been able to
completely reach. However, for a while,
I wasn’t even close to a path of attaining them. While going through difficulties in life,
often finances are a part of them. I became obsessed with finding ways to make
more money to save for my kids’ future and give me a more comfortable life. I told myself that I would tithe more and
donate to charity. I told myself all
sorts of things to justify my focus. I made
a two-year plan to get myself back on track, lose weight, dedicate more time to
God, learn various subjects and save money to put down on a house. I wrote it out excitedly. Then, I promptly closed the note I was
writing on google keep and didn’t look at it again. I continued to lay on my couch
and do nothing.
I had another scare that could make my whole plan
for my life moot. Not only that, but it
changed my perspective. What if I only
have a little while to live? My plans
for my life would be different. All of the money and comfort I sought, all of
the knowledge I wanted, none of it would matter. While putting the focus on those things and dreaming
of a better future, I neglected the present.
I neglected the fact that service to God happens now, not in the future. I picked up my bible, as I sometimes do when
I’m distressed, and I read 1 Timothy 1:12-16 in the NIV.
“12 I thank Christ
Jesus our lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy,
appointing me to his service. 13 Even
though I was once a blasphemer and a prosecutor and a violent man, I was shown
mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me
abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy
saying that deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the
worst. 16 But for that very reason, I was
shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his
immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive
eternal life. 17 Now to the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and
ever. Amen.”
As odd as it may sound to some, I do feel I’ve
been called to serve God and have never pursued a career or even a volunteer position
to help or save the sick and needy. I
let life get in the way because, over my few years, I’ve had a great deal of
responsibility. Now that I’m faced with a
scary possibility, I realize my focus was on the wrong thing. Christ has called me to serve, even if it’s
just in telling others who ask me or even just writing this blog. I was also once a not so very good person and
I received grace and mercy. I am one of
the worst sinners in my eyes because I keep putting off my calling for physical
things. Even the littlest things like
reading my bible regularly or praying more than a rehearsed prayer every
night. Even in my schedule that I wrote out,
I put in just thirty minutes for meditation, reading my bible, and praying. I set aside just thirty minutes in an eighteen
our schedule for God. I was even proud
of myself for it. And now all of my
other plans could mean nothing.
Buddha said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
focus your mind on the present moment.”
I look at that now and I see the profound truth
in it.
In Ephesians, it is written, “15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise
but as wise, 16 making the most of every
opportunity because the days are evil.”
My life could end and my plans to be a top-notch
programmer could mean nothing. While the
things that mean the most – my God, my family, my spirituality, ect – would have
been neglected. My focus needs to
change. I need to make the most of every
opportunity to do something for God as I feel I’m called to do. I sit and I think about what, if I were to
pass on, would I want my kids to remember about me? Would it matter if what I did for a living
was impressive? Would it matter how much
money I made? Maybe a little bit. “My father was a good programmer and made a
lot of money doing it” could be something to be proud of. However, that’s not what they would
miss. They’d miss our time together, our
talks, our playing time, our movie times, game times, and any good time we
could have together. I would want them
to know that I was a servant of Christ so they could follow my example. I would want them to remember lessons I taught
them of how to be a good man rather than how to work themselves to death.
That’s not to say that God does not want me to
have a high-paying job or a comfortable life, but as the bible says In Matthew
6:33, “But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well.” In
the verses before, Jesus was telling the Jews to not worry about what they will
eat or drink or wear because God “clothes the grass of the field. Will he not much more clothe you?” He tells them not to worry or be anxious
about such things but rather first seek the Kingdom. I’d forgotten that teaching. God will provide if I trust and seek
him.
Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
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