Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Matthew 6:31-33
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
If you’re like me, you might find not worrying about those exact things to be one of the hardest things to do. How am I supposed to do that? If I make $1,000 this week, taxes take $200, and I have $600 of bills to pay. If God wants me to return $100 to him, how am I supposed to live?
I consider myself a Christ follower, but if I’m honest with myself, I find trusting God with my livelihood to be a very scary thing. What about you?
So, let’s try to put this into a different perspective. I grew up in a very loving home. My mom didn’t work outside the home. My dad worked very hard as a brick mason. He didn’t make tons of money, but we always had food on the table, a good roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and even a few luxuries. Somehow there was always enough. I knew my parents loved me, and I trusted they would provide what I needed.
Knowing God loves me even more than I could ever comprehend, why don’t I have that same faith and trust that he will provide for my every need?
Last weekend, we learned that greed is not the opposite of generosity, fear is. So when we place our focus on taking care of ourselves, we rob ourselves of the blessings God wants to bestow upon us. This fear can lead to a scarcity mindset, causing us to believe there won’t be enough, so we become closed-handed with all God has blessed us with.
But if we faithfully and open-handedly trust God with the first fruits of his blessings, then there is no need to worry. God knows our every need and promises to provide. That is this week’s bottom line: Trust God first, and he will bless the rest.
Is it easy? No. But understanding who God is and believing in his Word makes all the difference.
Questions:
Where do you place your trust with all your blessings?
Are you open or closed-handed when it comes to giving?
Next Steps:
Seek God with the first of your blessings, and trust his word to provide.
Tune in to the rest of this series to learn about other scary things God asks us to do.
Prayer:
Loving Father, I believe in you and your love for me, but sometimes I struggle in trusting you with a portion of all you have blessed me with. Please forgive me for my closed-handed attitude and help me to understand that I need not worry because you will provide for my every need when I give open-handedly. Give me strength and courage to step out in faith by returning the first of my fruits back to you, knowing you will bless the rest. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Matthew 6:33
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
This post was written by Ned Miller, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.