Seek First

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
     We use our education and our experience and even our hunches to decide the best courses of action… only to discover that no amount of forethought or critical thinking can outweigh the power of seeking God’s guidance in any situation. No matter what the toil, trial or challenge, God’s way is always the best way. No need to try all the other alternatives before we finally give it to God. Our God is a God of FIRSTs. We offer first fruits…. We pass down special blessings to our first born, so why should we bring our concerns to God last? We try to fix things ourselves, over and over again; then finally we ask a close friend for their advice. When that seems like a dead end, we ask other friends and family and eventually we even seek outside advice from self-proclaimed experts, counselors, and even self-help books.
     Don’t’ let intellect overrun intelligence. Our brains tell us we can figure it out given enough time, but our hearts know that it is best to go to God FIRST and ask for his guidance. We are not to be so concerned about things; but focus on the main thing. . . the progression of God’s Kingdom here on Earth.
     Everything we need God has already provided. Much like how our parents would shop early for our Christmas gifts and hide them in the house until the appropriate time to reveal them; God has great answers to prayers and wonderful gifts to bestow, often right within reach, but out of view. He is more concerned with the proper timing than he is with our impatience. As we continue to seek his righteousness, he moves certain prayer answers or gifts from the attic to the top of a hall closet and eventually when we are ready we will find it sitting right on the kitchen table fully accessible - and we will be able to say that the Lord has prepared a table before us, even in the presence of our enemies, our impatience and our struggling faith.
     Every day is a good day; it is up to us to make it a power-packed GREAT day! Don’t be distracted; stay focused on your purpose. Be blessed! Dr. JoAnn