By David ReayWednesday 4 Oct 2017LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Matthew 6:33
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)
It is one of the paradoxes of life that if we seek happiness or pleasure or wealth as some overarching goal in life, chances are we miss out on enjoying those very things we so earnestly seek. Someone who drinks to excess ceases to truly enjoy alcohol. Someone who is obsessed with sexual pleasure may find such pleasure decreasing even as they are fixated on it.
Whenever we make some secondary good our overall aim in life, that secondary good begins to lose its goodness. Things get out of perspective. Priorities are confused. The things we figured might bring us satisfaction or pleasure or security instead become bearers of anxiety.
Jesus puts his finger on this problem. After reminding people not to be anxious about material concerns, he suggests that freedom from anxiety is found in not putting second things first. Put loving and serving God first and that puts those potential anxiety bearers in their proper place. An overriding quest for financial security can cause insecurity. An overriding quest for success can lead to failure.
We don’t get secondary things by putting them first. We can only get legitimate secondary things by putting first things first.
Blessings
David Reay