Happy New Year to those I have not seen or talked to lately! I'm excited about this year because I have committed to doing something that I have only been mildy successful at, and not very consistent. That is advancing God's Kingdom. Matthew 6:33 says "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be given unto you." First of all to understand what "these things" are, you have to read the verses before this one. In the previous verses, God tells us not to worry about what we are going to eat, drink wear, but to have faith that he will provide our every need."These things" seem pretty basic, but to some people it is something they feel they have to chase, struggle to get, or have the best of the best and nothing less. We don't realize that they are a given, when we are focused on what's important to God. I love how my student Bible phrases this verse, it says "and he will give you everything you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. Does that sound hard? Conceptually, no, but in practice it is hard in this techno, impatient, all-you-can_______ world. It's easy to be concerned about a lot of things other than God's Kingdom. It's almost like God is telling us "Hakuna Matata, I can handle food, drink, and clothes, I got this, give me something bigger." This whole section 6:25-33) challenges us to change our focus.
This year more of my focus is on advancing His Kingdom. There are so many ways to do this, so my first step has been to get in his face. You know, spend time with Him, get to know His heart, really seek to know what matters to Him. God has opinions, (usually called "the truth") about our lives everyday all day, but do we stop and ask him for them? I have tried to do a lot of things by my own might that have not worked, so I figured if I just let God have his way I can't go wrong, right? Making what's important to him important to me releases me from making bad decisions, gives me freedom, and confidence that I am walking in his favor, no matter what.
God showed me that there are so many things in me that other people need to get them where he wants them to be, that if I'm so busy looking at myself, my circumstances, then I'm becoming stagnant and can't be useful in advancing anything. That being said, another step is serving.
There are times when I can be very selfish and a lot of times it stems from my own fear of lack. What better way to learn about gratitude and giving than serving those who really are lacking. I love helping people, and lately my heart has been drawn to serving the homeless. I want to be more consistent in giving them more time, attention, and food.
God is preparing me for great things in 2009, mainly so that he can be glorified. I'm not perfect, I'm just grateful for his forgiveness, and that he still wants to use little ole me. I look forward to all that he provides for me while I seek His Kingdom and His will for my life. There were so many things I wanted in 2008 that I was either denied or have been delayed, but I know that I will always have what I need, and while I'm seeking His righteousness, he seeks to bless me.
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