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“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you.”

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Jesus spoke to the people on the mountain top. He told them how to insure their relationship with God in order to be victorious over worry.

He also speaks to us about this ‘joy stealer’ of modern life. We have certain issues in these times that cause us to become anxious-stretching our income to allow us to get through until the next paycheck, maintaining peace with those who chose not to understand our way of living, and raising our children or grandchildren. Also, the natural disasters can cause us unrest.

Jesus tells the crowd to search for God’s rule and a strong relationship with Him. We develop this tie with Him through receiving His salvation and learning to trust Him.

In today’s world, we hunt for a lifestyle that satisfies. But we have to realize that life isn’t always about us. Once we learn that, we can refrain from the angst of our time.

As we learn of Jesus, we discover we can trust Him for every aspect of our lives. He tells the crowd and us to turn to Him first when difficulties confront us.

We have times when trying issues seem to overtake us. Nothing works out as we want. Our interactions with people cause us hurt. When we experience these events, we can call out to Jesus to protect us. Sometimes we can recognize the symptoms of when we have hurtfulness invade our domain. When we see these ‘darts of the evil one’ prick our hearts, we can call upon our Lord to take care of the situation.

One of the pastors who influenced my Christian life used to tell us to not be afraid to attempt something so great that without God we would fail. His thinking was we should always seek God for His guidance in all the areas of our lives.

When we hear of a small child express his faith in Jesus, we yearn for a belief as simple as that child. A young girl who attends our church always has a testimony to share of God working in her life. Sometimes, she gives thanks that her grandpa is home from the hospital and doing well. She even gave thanks that her grandpa had gotten a motorized scooter.

When something enters our lives that we can’t handle, it’s easier on us if we approach God’s throne first rather than as a last resort. We can waste a lot of energy by worrying about the event we see as traumatic.

Even if we believe we know what we are doing, we should seek God’s help and wisdom because He knows what lies ahead and we don’t.

Joyce Meyer, in one of her books, set me straight on this issue of when we go to Jesus when we have a trial. In essence, she said, “Don’t go to your best earthly friend when something bothers you. Go to Jesus first.”

A few months ago I was aware of a need that I couldn’t share because of confidentiality rules. Recently, at church one Wednesday night, one of the men told me this young girl I knew was in his daughter’s Girl Scout troop. My young friend also goes to the charter school where this couple’s daughter goes. I told the gentleman that this girl goes there. His answered, “Yes, she rides with us.” My reaction was total astonishment. My prayer was for my little friend to find a ride across town to the new school. This couple’s name came to mind; they lived in the area. But, due to privacy issues, I couldn’t do anything except pray about the need.

Dear God:

Thank You for always being there for us. Thank You for listening when we need to talk. Thank You for answering our prayers. Your guidance leads us through our lives in ways that are best for us. Please teach us to approach You at the earliest moment of our need. We ask this be done because of Your grace. We ask these things in His name. AMEN

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 30, 2010)