Devotions

Seeking God

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34 

So often we have a desire to respond to a sermon, a podcast and/or a devotion when we are encouraged by something we hear or read. I believe this is the Holy Spirit prompting us to live into God’s will for our lives. We are all called to serve and share the love of Christ. This is a daily call and can be fulfilled without ever leaving your house.  

Our scripture focus today reminds us to seek God and the righteousness of God, so that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit. When our hearts are in sync with the heart of Christ, we are able to offer the love and grace of Jesus more readily to others. When we let the worries of tomorrow steal our focus and our joy, we let them form a barrier to being able to live out God’s call.  

I pray that as we seek God’s will, we do so with God’s heart for his people.   

It’s Not Just Happening to You

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 

I remember clearly when my father died. It’s been 31 years and I still miss him all the time. So often I want to ask his advice or share something I have learned. I would love to share with him my perspective as I approach my 70th birthday. When I was a young man, I thought that by the time I reached 70 I would finally have lived long enough and experienced enough to finally have learned it all. 

I’m sure it is no surprise that, despite my advanced years, I do not know it all. Not even close. Actually, each day I find there is so much more I can and need to learn. Without making a list of the things I need to learn, I offer this perspective on life that is true when you are 10, or 20, or 40, or 70. Here’s the insight: no matter what is happening in your life, no matter what you have experienced or what you are experiencing, no matter what – you are not alone, and it is not just happening to you. 

We live in a bubble of sorts, staying focused on ourselves and the small piece of the world around us. We tend to see the same people and experience the same things over and over. When we have the opportunity to move outside that daily routine and see something or someplace different, we can have what is often called “an eye-opening experience.” This is good for us. I find that God speaks to me when I open my eyes to see and open my ears to listen to the new and different around me. 

The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that things change and that all things have their time and place in the world. In 70 years, I have seen and done many things. Now is the season to pause and step back and look around and acknowledge that we are all in this together. We all know the good and the bad, the fast and the slow, the joy and the pain of life. That’s the way it is supposed to be. May we find the presence of God in it all.