Seek HIM First

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

This is a verse we, as Christians, hear all the time. We hear it in church, we hear it at home, we hear it in movies and we even hear it in songs. But, are we really listening to what this simple verse is telling us?

Let's break it down so we can fully understand what we are being told.

"Seek ye first"- This is pretty simple. Here, we are being told that we are to do this first. Not second or third or fourth. We are to make this a priority in our lives.

"The kingdom of God"- Here, we are being told what exactly it we should be seeking. We should be seeking God. His kingdom. And what exactly does "kingdom" mean? Well that can be easily defined also. A simple Google search for the definition of kingdom tells us that it is defined as "A realm associated with or regarded as being under the control of a particular person or thing." Well, since God is the controller of everything, this becomes pretty straightforward. 

"And his righteousness"- this is the second thing we are told we should be seeking above all else. You can find this righteousness through Christ himself. This is the state of moral perfection. And, it should go without saying, that this is impossible to accomplish without Christ himself & having faith in God. 

"And all these things shall be added unto you"- this is my favorite part of the verse. This is the reward we will receive for following His direction and Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. "all these things" is everything we could ask for. These are our rewards.

So, all in all, this verse could very well be one of the strongest rules we could receive from The Bible. We need to let the things of this world pass us by, and not get caught up in them. We need to seek God first and foremost. And then, only then, will everything be added unto us. 

I'm From the Country and I Like It That Way

I'm proud to say that I am a country girl. I can go out wearing jeans, a tshirt, and boots and feel more confident than if I were in a dress. Taking a walk in the woods or riding fourwheelers in a big open field is more fun to me than actually going out. Don't get me wrong, I love going shopping and going to dinner every now and then. BUT being a country girl is just how God made ME. It’s like I can’t help it. I love my dogs, I love being at the barn and smelling that “barn” smell and I love taking my fourwheeler through a big mud hole. I just love being outside in general. I am a Vitamin D junkie. I can never get enough of the sun. Sitting on the porch in the evenings with my bible and notebook is one of my absolute favorite things. While I can talk to God inside just as good as I can outside, being outside for some reason helps me think better. Playing my guitar sitting on the swing helps me really clear my head. Takes away a lot of stress. I also want to mention how much I love having a long driveway. If you have read any of our previous blogs, you may have read the one titled “Working Out And Eating Healthy:)” I talked about how I like to run. Well, I actually run down my driveway. It’s so open and spacious, not like being at the gym on a treadmill. On an episode of Duck Dynasty, Willie and Jase were outside talking about going to the gym. And Jase replies “This is God’s gym!” That couldn’t be any truer. If I could reach out to anyone that suffers from depression, I would tell them to go outside. Get involved with activities that are outdoors. Nothing takes away sadness more than some good ole Vitamin D. Enjoy "God's Gym". I'm so thankful and grateful that I live in the country. My childhood was a blast. From rolling out a big piece of tarp to make a slip n slide to jumping on the horses bareback...I can say I was blessed with some fun childhood memories. Sitting in the driveway making mud pies and getting lost in the woods and in the corn field, are things I will treasure for the rest of my life. God placed me here. For a reason. And I am so happy that He did.

 

                           

Summer Reflections.

Here it is the beginning of August.....wow how time flies. Am I the only one who gets that bittersweet feeling when the summer is coming to a close?.....sigh. Anyways. These are some of my summer reflections and things I want you to know :)


1) Time is a precious gift. Don't wish it away. Stop being in such a hurry all the time. Enjoy every moment. Yeah that probably sounds cliché. It's true. We spend most of our lives wishing time would speed up so we can get to where we want to be in life. God has a purpose for ALL times in our lives. Even those times that seem so insignificant. "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven"- Ecc 3:1

2) God is in full control of our lives. BUT we make our own decisions. God does his best to keep us on the highway, but we are in control of the steering wheel. "The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."- Isaiah 58:11

 

3) Quit playing it safe. Quit staying in your comfort zone. So you're scared to go out into the world? No worries. God has you in the palm of His hands. And nobody can take you away from Him. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

 

4) Be confident in who you are. Walk out into the world knowing that Jesus died for YOU. And he still would have done it, if you were the only person in the world. You are a daughter of a King. You are precious and special to Him. "A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." -Proverbs 31:30




5) Without spending time with God and talking to him (daily), you are not going to have any kind of direction. You will be overwhelmed and all over the place. So if you aren't grounded and standing firm in your faith, you will make stupid decisions. Take some time out of your day to show Jesus you really want to walk like him. "Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge"-Proverbs 23:12