20/20: Seeing Yourself in Light of the Lordنموونە

God, Your Source

Without giving it much thought, you are probably able to very quickly recall the very last time you felt anxiety. In that moment, were you anxious because it was beneficial to your day? Of course not. That would not make any sense. You were anxious because of fear, pain, or uncertainty. All of these are understandable but none of these is of necessity. Jesus addresses anxiety in Matthew 6:25-33 saying, 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

As you read the above passage, you may have said to yourself, “How do I practically seek the Kingdom of God?” There is a greater question, however, that you should ask yourself: “Where do I find comfort when I am afraid, anxious, and hurting?” 

Do you remember scraping your knee as a child? Most children would instinctually start to cry and run over to their comforter. This would oftentimes be a mother, father, or an older sibling. As the years passed and you grew more independent, you likely started to seek comfort less through others . As a result, you began bottling up all of the hardest parts of everyday life until, seemingly out of nowhere, you find yourself needing a release. 

Many people experience this in the form of depression, panic attacks, or even spouts of rage. To practically seek the Kingdom of God is to continually return to Him as your source, or as mentioned in Day 3, your portion. He must be your go-to source of comfort, inspiration, and passion; all else that flows from Him is freely accessible to you.

Thoughts to Consider:

Below are examples of practical ways you can seek the Kingdom of God.

• Prayer Time
• Scripture Study
• Praise and Worship
• Repentance
• Thanksgiving