Hello everyone, how does this devotional make you think?

[Jenny Lucado]

Hey everyone, my name is Jenny Lucado. I'm a Christian indie author, and I just recently published my first book.

Here is one of my favorite devotionals inside it, please let me know how it makes you think!

#12 Seek God First, Then All Else Will Fall Into Place


“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” - Matthew 6:33

All of us have many desires: We want to get a high paying job, a nice car, a new home, and plenty of money in life. We want to live a happy and fulfilling life. We also want to live for God; how do we balance all of this? Jesus tells us simply with this verse.


What does he mean when he says to focus on God’s kingdom and His righteousness first? He means that you need to spend time with God and His ways of doing things. The main way you do this is by reading the Bible or listening to devotionals. Taking time each day and really think about a portion of scripture and analyzing how it will help you know God’s heart and what He is doing.

The promise in this verse is that when you put your focus on God’s word and His way of doing things first, all other concerns of your life will begin to fall into place. You can then have the peace knowing that you do not have to keep it all in order, God will. God takes care of all your life’s worries when you put his concerns first.

Choose to put God’s Word and His kingdom first. It will take some time before all your other things in life get realigned by God. Just know that in time, He will make sure that all the things you are concerned about are taken care of.

Even though we want God to help us, it is sometimes very hard to put Him first. It seems easy to trust Him with your life when you’re in church, but the next day, you may be tempted to take control again. Seeking God and putting Him first takes building an intimate relationship with Him. God knows exactly what is needed, better than what we know ourselves. He requires that we make Him top priority in all aspects of our lives, in order to fulfill our needs to the fullest.

Pray with me: Father, I know my relationship with You is the key to having peace, joy, fulfillment, and a great life. Help me to put You first and love You with my whole heart. In Jesus Name, Amen.

If you enjoyed this devotional, please read my book and let me know what you think about it! You can get it here for free >> Unwavering Faith Devotionals: Free Book

 

[Nancy Hale]

All of us have many desires: We want to get a high paying job, a nice car, a new home, and plenty of money in life. We want to live a happy and fulfilling life. We also want to live for God; how do we balance all of this? Jesus tells us simply with this verse.

I don't want any of those things, so I feel it's not for me right off the bat. I'm sure there are a lot of people who think those "things" will make them happy, maybe this will speak to them?

 

[Messerve]

Daughter of Max Lucado? Sorry, I know you're an individual, too! Haha I imagine it's not always easy having a famous father...

My only thought about that devotion is that even though God will realign things in our life and help us with our various needs, the reality is that there are also some things we will be likely dealing with until the day we die - the loss of a loved one, a relative who is very difficult to live with or resistant to God, harmful addictions, chronic health issues, etc. This is what a lot of Christian movies kind of get wrong and why they seem to have sort of pigeonhole conclusions - always a happy ending, when in real life there was probably an unfortunate squirrel dead on the road not far from the happy ending set. But if God even cares about the grass of the field, then... how? Why do bad things happen even to those who serve Him? There has to be something more to the passage.

I think they key is in verse 25: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"

The point of the passage is that we worry about having physical things, but that we are to seek solutions to spiritual needs as our priority. Not as an excuse to be lazy, but if we find ourselves in a place where we are to give our last coins to God (as in, "the widow's mite") even though we know we need food or have a family to provide for, we can rest in the peace that God has promised He will provide for us. That's living by faith and not by sight.

We aren't to be caught up in the frenzy of gathering worldly comforts that we can't take with us. Our energy is to be exerted on seeking His Kingdom for our own spiritual needs and for others.

We are living in a physical world, so naturally the first thing that comes to mind when we read the word "needs" are physical things. But God sees the word "needs" and thinks also of spiritual things. Sometimes as God is providing our spiritual needs, it hurts. We are jagged rocks that He has to chisel down and polish. However, we can have peace in the midst of the pain, knowing that He's doing something for our own benefit.

I don't know if that really contradicts what you wrote, but I just feel like it needs to be clarified a bit or it kind of leaves the reader feeling like a happy story is a given if they only pursue God. But Christians are killed for their faith, so...