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The Intimacy Our Soul Longs For
 The intimacy our soul longs for
is found in a vital and growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who is
perfectly suited to satisfy and sustain us. True intimacy is what we experience as we grow more deeply in love, connected to, and confident in Christ as our
unfailing resource in life. Our priorities must be clearly defined by the following
verse: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:33)
"Therefore
I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink; or 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, for they
neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not of more value than they? Which
of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith? Therefore
do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What
shall we wear?' For after all
these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need
all these things. But seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
to you. Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for
the day is its own trouble."
Because of the ill effects of
worry, Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to
supply. Worry may (1) damage your health, (2) cause the object of your worry to
consume your thoughts, (3) disrupt your productivity, (4) negatively affect the
way you treat others, and (5) reduce your ability to trust in God. How many ill
effects of worry are you experiencing? Here is the difference between worry and
genuine concern - worry immobilizes, but concern moves you to action. To
"seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" means to turn to God
first for help, to fill your thoughts with his desires, to take his character
for your pattern, and to serve and obey him in everything. What is really
important to you? People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for
priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don't
actively choose to give him first place in every area of your life.
Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time
wasted. Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is
thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's
guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by
contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let
their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don't let worries about
tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.
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