Updated: Sep 26
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:33-34 NLT
We’ve all been there: We go through a litany of “what-ifs,” finding ourselves forming complete scenarios that read like a suspense novel—or worse—like a horror movie, projected on our mind’s eye.
The fact is, slogging through all possible horrifying scenarios, only steals your peace, while squandering precious inner resources better used elsewhere.
Think about it, the scenarios we might imagine, rarely occur as we envision them. And even if they do happen, if they involved things over which we have no real control, the worrying brought no different outcome.
Let’s ask the Lord to forgive us for failing to trust He Who only knows (and can control) what will happen tomorrow. Let’s take the instruction Jesus gives in our opening scripture and live in the day we are in, trusting the Lord with how we’ll face whatever trouble may come tomorrow.
Understand, this is not failing to plan or strategize; it is refraining from vain imaginings that produce no good results and actually reveal our lack of true dependence on the Lord.
Going forward, let’s quit borrowing trouble. Rather, let’s live in Jesus’ promised peace that can anchor us safely no matter how rough the seas.
“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
Matthew 6:30 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
“Turn my eyes away from vanity [all those worldly, meaningless things that distract—let Your priorities be mine], And restore me [with renewed energy] in Your ways.”
Psalms 119:37 AMP
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, spoke at great length about vanity or vain things. An interesting fact to note, he only came to his conclusions, after he had tried everything that came to his mind, in his search for meaning/happiness/satisfaction.
““Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.”
Ecclesiastes 1:2-8 NLT
Ironically, when we are seeking after vain things, we are oblivious to the exercise in futility we are attempting to carry out.
This is the case because we have attached some greater desire/need (e.g., comfort, acceptance, peace, power, etc.), to our eventually futile quests.
Sadly, many people continue—as if persistence will produce a different result—to repeatedly seek the same thing, in the same vain way, and seeing the same empty results.
As did the psalmist in our opening scripture, let’s ask the Lord to forgive us for seeking after vanity, rather than seeking after Him Who only can supply our every need.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:33 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?”
Hebrews 2:1-3 NLT
Sometimes people who have overcome something in their lives, may inadvertently move away from the very thing(s) that helped them to overcome. And, in so doing, they often find themselves right back into the thing they had overcome.
Let’s understand this concept better by considering an example I have employed here before.
Years ago, I overheard a disturbing discussion between two people. I knew them both well, their histories, their struggles, and so on. Both of these individuals had been dealing with substance abuse. The one who had been on the wagon longer, said to the one who had just recently come out of the using lifestyle, the following: “I now know that I can drink socially without overdoing it. I know when to stop.” Well, long story made short, the one boasting about their ability to use in moderation, relapsed, and ended up dying young. The one to whom this person was speaking, went back to using for some length of time before ultimately overcoming through the grace of God.
You see, the one who was boasting that they could exercise moderation with something they should not be doing at all, “forgot” how it was in their life when their drug habit, paired with alcohol addiction, ruled over them. They “forgot” what it took to be free from a life driven from one fix to another.
Peter, after instructing concerning the need for developing a spiritually mature character, offers this warning:
“For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
2 Peter 1:8-9 AMP
Indeed, failure to mature spiritually, failure to go on to know the Lord, puts one in danger of falling back into those things from which they had been rescued by the Lord Jesus Christ!
In our opening scripture we see the writer of Hebrews warning that neglecting, or ignoring, our salvation, comes with great peril.
Granted, among those who truly love the Lord, few would ever think of themselves as “neglecting” (ignoring) their salvation. However, unless we keep the awareness of what a miracle our marvelous gift of salvation is, we could begin to take it for granted, losing the joy of our salvation, leading to our falling back into our old (sinful) ways of being and doing.
The Lord Himself has delivered us from destruction through His own sacrifice. He stands with arms wide open, welcoming all who will come to Him. But, the Lord made clear that if we love Him, we will live in obedience to Him. That means separating ourselves from the love of the world and its associated lusts.
Child of God, let us repent of forgetting—even for a moment—what a wonderful gift our salvation is and the great cost paid for our do-over, our way back to sharing His never-ending life.
Remember, we weren’t saved from darkness so that we can continue operating as those still in darkness. We were saved that we might follow after Jesus. Yes! Jesus will guide us into all righteousness in this life, all the way into the life hereafter, where we will rule and reign with Him!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!