This morning as I sat and prayed, I listened to God’s voice. And I was overcome by him.
This past week we were at Family Camp and it was an awesome time, as usual. However, I was reminded that I need Jesus all year long, not just once a year at Family Camp. Now, obviously, it’s not like I don’t seek God all year.
I do, but somehow this year at Family Camp I realized that I often let the cares of my life overtake me. It’s so easy to let the cares of life overwhelm us.
Yet we are called to “Seek Jesus First.”
As I was praying this morning, God highlighted to me (again) Matthew 6:33 (NLT) and he will give you all you need from day to day, if you live for him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern.
Now I had memorized this verse in the King James version as a child, but this translation just struck me this morning. Our motivation should never be to get “stuff” from God but to Seek him first. If we will seek him first, all that “stuff” will take care of itself. Maybe this isn’t profound to you, but it is to me. The stuff doesn’t matter, Jesus does. In the long run, it’s not about this earth-its about eternity.
1 John 2:15-17(The Message) says: Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world-wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important-has nothing to do with the Father. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out-but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
Whoa! Don’t you love how blunt The Message is? We, as Christians, are supposed to look different from the world.
Why is it that often we don’t? Sometimes it’s because we fear man more than we fear God. We are called to walk in the fear of the Lord, not man.
Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
I want to look like Jesus, not like the world. I want to love him, more than anything else.
As I sat down at my piano this morning, I was compelled to play the old hymn, “I Surrender All.”
“All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow, worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now.”
So the question I had to ask myself, am I truly willing to give him my all?
Are you willing to give him your all?
In this moment we may say yes, but we must recognize that it is a continual, daily, moment by moment choice.
No, we won’t always get it right, but are we willing to continue to rely on Jesus and seek his face first?
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