Monday, November 28, 2011

Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  The principle of this verse should be the theme of your life.  As you can tell by the tag line, this blog is based on this principle, and I guarantee you that every post will in some way point you back to God.  I write this way because I know that everything else is useless.  Knowledge without truth is useless.  Love without God is lust.  Life lived for self is a waste.

So much of our life we spend worrying about the next chapter or wondering how this or that will play out.  We consume ourselves with the worldly things, rather than instantly giving them to God  (John 17:15-16.)  Many people ask me for dating advice but then turn there backs on it, claiming it was too hard.

This is because it is unnatural.  God didn't ask us to date in and of the world like non-Christians do.  Everything you see on TV, at the club, with your friends...this is the world's way of dating, and as a life-committed follower of Christ, you were called to be more than that, why?  Because you are called to seek God FIRST.  

When we seek God more than popularity, status, comfort from a close friend, love from the opposite sex, sex from the opposite sex, family, friends, and EVERYTHING else, then and only then will our lives, purpose, and heart fall into place.  I'm not saying you will self-destruct if you put something before God, but I am saying your life will be more chaotic because of it.

Most Christians today are half in and half out.  I think it is because the calling to take up your cross daily is a hard one.  It's not something natural or easy, so most people try it for a few days, months, or weeks, and then give up because the cross is too much to bare, but the calling only becomes too much when we begin to take our eyes off of the one who gave us the cross.  

When worries hit your mind, temptation stings your flesh, and defeat is in your spirit, take a look at your focus. It's probably a few marks off of the bulls eye, which is Christ.  When we are careful to move our focus back to Him one hundred and ten percent, everything else falls back into the background.


So how do we get our focus back on Christ?
Spend an extended amount of time in prayer.  Ask God to reveal the focus of your heart.  Start by praying about whatever comes to mind.  Pretty soon you will find yourself praying about a particular person or circumstance extensively.  More than likely this is the root of your problem, the incident that shifted your focus.

Commit that "thing" to God, not only in your prayer but in the depths of your heart.  Promise yourself that if you begin worrying, fantasizing, or wondering about this "thing" again, that you will quote a verse referring you back to God, or pray for God to once again take the "thing" out of your focus.


Next, get in the Word and hear what God has to say to you.  God is always ready to help us and talk to us about our life-altering drama we encounter from day to day.  Many times we will even pray to him to help us with this drama, but how many times do you actually give him a turn to talk?  One way God speaks to us is through the Bible.  Reading the Word of God should be a daily activity in your life.  If you are always talking and doing and thinking, when does God have a chance to respond?

Start with a devotional book from the nearest bookstore, or try this website for free online devos http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/ or this one for a short and sweet starter http://odb.org/.  However you choose to begin getting in the word, make it a commitment and a part of your everyday routine.  It should be as natural as asking your loved one about their day.

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