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You probably have had one of those days when everything seemed to click. All your ducks were in a row. You accomplished not only the items on your to do list, but you successfully completed a couple of extra duties! You ran several errands. You had a good day at work or school, and you came home and worked around the house. You did a favor for someone. Maybe you topped off the evening by cooking a fabulous meal or enjoying an outing with friends and family. The day was about as close to perfect as you have had. At the end of the day, you fall into bed, thoroughly exhausted but blissful that the day was a good day.
On those very productive days, we keep our eyes on the target and move at a slightly faster pace. We are task oriented and our attention is focused and lasts to the end of the undertaking. We may mistakenly feel that all of the credit is ours. We succeeded. We worked beyond our own expectations. Perhaps there was even recognition for the great job we did—all on our own! We may even boast to others, touting our remarkable triumph over our assignments.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2:15
We burst with pride, and we begin to think in the future. Maybe we will do even greater things in the future. Our payoff may be larger. And soon…there it is. We think about the material things we might buy or the additional money we might make.
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The drawback with this thought process, for us as Christians, is that we fail to realize the effort, the energy, the focus, and the success, were not things that we did on our own. Our skills, abilities, and even our energy and focus, were given to us by our Father in heaven. And on the days when things are not going well, we are reminded that we cannot control our world. We may function well within our own livelihood, career, home, and family, but make no mistake, we cannot control these aspects of our lives.
Finding and staying centered with God is difficult to do on those extra busy hectic days. But staying centered with Him, being thankful and prayerful, will keep our feet grounded. Walking closer to God prevents us from getting ahead of ourselves and taking the wrong path toward greed and worldly achievements. Often after we experience positive results, we begin planning for even greater things. More success, more money, more prestige, more material things. These worldly rewards may or may not happen. It is not up to us. We put forth the effort, but the outcome will be determined by God.
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But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you Matthew 6:33
The verse above reminds us that by seeking God first, we shall have more rewards in heaven than we could possibly imagine here on earth. In this verse, Jesus tells us not to worry about the future, our needs, and our desires. By placing God in our hearts first and staying centered, there is no need for worry or greed. Our focus should be on Him rather than our earthly concerns. With God first, we will have peace of mind, strong faith, loving relationships, and our needs will be met. For these bountiful blessings, we are thankful.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you John 15:7
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