KEY SCRIPTURE Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
RELEVANCE Where are your hopes, thoughts and priorities? In our key scripture, the Lord writes that we might have our hopes heavenward. He hopes we organise our thoughts and priorities right, that they are pointed towards Him, towards the Holy Place and the crossing of a spiritual Jordan, not looking at the life, mire, troubles and personal weaknesses we see in our human vision and self-doubt. Our path may appear somewhat long and rugged, but the Lord shouts for joy when He sees progress—one step at a time, one decision in front of the other in the right sequence, putting the Lord first in each case. At times it may seem the Lord is constantly chastening us with what seems like never-ending commands from a nagging parent, and we might respond with a thousand guilt trips. But through that process He wishes to whisper wisdom in our ears. Our path will not always be easy, but if we let His Word prepare us instead of frightening us, we will see His love and goodness shining through. There are challenges and temptations for every Christian. Challenges to take up the cross and follow Jesus, and temptations to draw us away from Him by our lusts. In choosing Christ we choose life, which is the best decision we can make. It is the only decision towards life, but it doesn't come without pain. We must draw a line when we come to Christ, a valley of separation, where only one side can be called home. The Lord wants us to remove dross from our lives, to shine and polish our silver and gold, and keep walking forward with our eyes on our Saviour and His Kingdom. In this simple scripture, our Lord calls us most of all to keep coming toward Him.. PRAYER My dear Lord, thank you for your chastening, and thank you for the Kingdom which I am walking toward. Thank you for my oft failures, which you, through the power of Holy Spirit, can eventually turn into successes for your glory. Father, keep drawing me along the paths of righteousness and holiness.
Photo by Daniel Lerman
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