{"id":26,"date":"2015-11-02T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-02T17:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2015\/11\/seeking-christ-first.html"},"modified":"2016-03-25T17:17:13","modified_gmt":"2016-03-25T22:17:13","slug":"seeking-christ-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2015\/11\/seeking-christ-first.html","title":{"rendered":"Seeking Christ First"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Several years ago when my nephew was six or seven years old, my family was facing a very challenging time due to illness, unexpected changes and financial uncertainty. \u00a0I had entered seminary that same year, so as a first year philosophy student, I was experiencing my own stressful transition which filled me with some anxiety. \u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>While I was home during a break I drove to the store with my young nephew. \u00a0Before getting in the car, he had overheard our adult conversation where we were trying to resolve the different challenges we were facing. \u00a0As I drove away from the house, my nephew began to tell me from the back seat all the things we should be doing and how we should go about doing them. \u00a0After reaching a stop sign I turned around, looked at him and said, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about these things. \u00a0I worry about them. \u00a0It\u2019s not your job to figure out these things.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>As soon as I faced forward again, ready to continue driving, I closed my eyes and had a revelation. \u00a0A weight was lifted off my back. \u00a0The very same words I had just said to my nephew God had been saying to me for months. \u00a0Just as I was frustrated that my nephew was worrying about things way beyond his control or ability to resolve, God was probably equally frustrated with me that I worried about many things beyond my control or my ability to resolve.\u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>\u201cDo not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink\u2026 Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself.\u201d<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Jesus utters these beautiful words in Scripture yet we worry about all kinds of things. \u00a0Most of these are things beyond our reach, so we grow frustrated, angry, anxious and ultimately depressed.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>We must trust that if we seek first God\u2019s kingdom and his righteousness as Jesus taught, all things will be given unto us. \u00a0There is no need to grow worried, frustrated, angry, anxious or depressed if we are seeking God\u2019s Kingdom above all else. \u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Trusting God requires letting go and allowing God to take charge, yet we struggle believing that God will provide what we need. \u00a0We worry about work, children, finances, the economy, war, politics, global warming etc. \u00a0We watch 24-hour news networks and worry about things we do not really even care about. \u00a0<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Jesus Christ says to us each day, \u201cSeek me first and all things will be given unto you.\u201d \u00a0We must hold on to His hand and walk confidently, trusting that He will lead us in the path which leads to peace and fulfillment. \u00a0As a child holds on to the hand of a parent without any fear and trusting completely that the parent will lead him to a safe place, we must also trust that if we seek God first in all things, He will leads us to salvation.<\/span>
\n
\n<\/span>Picture: Mount Zion, Jerusalem, 2007<\/span><\/p>\n

Pictures are mine, all rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Several years ago when my nephew was six or seven years old, my family was facing a very challenging time due to illness, unexpected changes and financial uncertainty. \u00a0I had entered seminary that same year, so as a first year philosophy student, I was experiencing my own stressful transition which filled me with some anxiety. 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