Thursday, October 16, 2008

First Seek His Kingdom

First Seek His Kingdom

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

-NIV-

        

Worries can weigh you down and leave you empty and depressed. Worrying about your bank account, what the weather is going to be tomorrow or will the store have what you are looking for? These things are okay to be concerned about, but they should not be the thoughts that consume or day. We should be thinking of how to serve the King, God our Lord.

         Today alone is enough to deal with why try to deal with two days at the same time? Tomorrow is going to come with will come with its own worries. So today focus on how you can live to honor God. Choose wisely the words you speak and where you go. Seek to be like Jesus as one would be living in his kingdom. Jesus is righteous and his kingdom is righteous, therefore you should seek righteousness. Let God take care of tomorrow for he does a better job than you ever can. Today is the day you have and give it back to the Lord with praise and living a life of thanks.
         Let you thoughts focus on Christ and see how the day's decisions are Christ centered. You will see the bigger picture and that Christ is Lord and your life should be focusing on giving him glory. How are you living today will determine how you will face tomorrow.


Thursday, October 9, 2008

Learning from an ANT

Proverbs 6:6-11 (New Living Translation)

6      Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.

      Learn from their ways and become wise!

7      Though they have no prince

      or governor or ruler to make them work,

8      they labor hard all summer,

      gathering food for the winter.

9      But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?

      When will you wake up?

10      A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,

      a little folding of the hands to rest—

11      then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;

      scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
 
         The ant is diligent at work with no lord or master ruling them but the ant works hard during the summer and has food for the winter. The ant works when others desire to play and are able to rest when times become hard because of the work it has done before the times became hard.
 

Lazy people or consistent procrastinators will think a little sleep will not hurt. I can rest and fold my hands and be idle now there is plenty of time to do this work later. Yet the problem is if you do not have the time now when will you have the time to make it up? You cannot make up time. Once time is gone it is gone. Only when you have done the work that is needed should you rest from your labors. If you do not do the work you will see poverty and scarcity come on you for your lack of diligence.

         God calls us to be responsible with the time He has given us and working for His kingdom while we have time. We do not know the day or the hour Jesus will return. Jesus is coming back so we need to work now and surrender your life to Jesus. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1Cor. 15:58 ¶ NIV)."
 

Samuel Duren

"Building a Better Community"

Zion Baptist Church
323 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr
Peoria, Il 61605
wk: (309) 676 4828
fax: (309) 676-8195