Seek Ye First

God's word today is courtesy of the Gospel of Luke; a reminder that in putting Him first, all else follows.

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.
For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?
If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?
Consider the lilies, 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 which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith!
And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.
For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them.
Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. (Luke 12:22-31)

I pray, now that His plans are slowly coming into the light, that I be able to hold firm to His promise, for He has always been faithful in His providence whenever I seek Him first. Praise God for His word, the lamp upon my feet, the light unto my path.

And truly, His insistence in putting the point across jolted me this early in the morning when, moments after receiving His message in today's Gospel, I find the very same sentiment echoed in today's meditation of Oswald Chamber's (he's not even Catholic, so the Divine "coincidence" is truly stunning) My Utmost For His Highest. The icing to top it all off is Chambers' mention of simplicity, which, as some of you may already know, is the goal I've been striving towards since the last Holy Week, and focus, which I am likewise trying dearly to achieve!

May 18
Living Simply - Yet Focused
Look at the birds of the air...Consider the lilies of the field...
—Matthew 6:26, 28

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin"— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me." In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" ( John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as "the lilies of the field."

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and "the lilies of the field"— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.