All posts by Seek Ye First the Kingdom

How Do We Get Faith?

Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Great we think, “Faith is confidence in something we want, but don’t see how it can happen.” That doesn’t help us if we don’t know, “How do we get faith?”

In Paul’s letter to the Romans 10:17, He answer’s that question, writing, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”

Do you want faith? Read God’s word and hear it preached.

Dear Lord, You lead us to the answers in the Bible. Help us overcome our resistance to read and hear your word preached, so that we might have the faith in what we hope for. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Peaceful Heart – Healthy Body

Many people spend a tremendous amount of time and money to maintain their health, but miss one of the keys God’s provides for health.
Proverbs 14:30 says,  “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body  jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”
Having a peaceful, low stress demeanor is physically good for us.
Though it is easy to say, being at peace is not always easy to turn on.  I recently heard a practice that helps.  Each morning take a few minutes to relax with several long deep breaths, then think intently about three things for which you are grateful.  Try to physically feel the gratitude for these things.  It is very difficult to be envious, bitter or angry when you are focusing intently on being grateful.
Dear Lord, you have provided the instruction manual for our lives, that you created, in the Bible.  Help us find your wisdom there.  Be with us and help us work on a peaceful heart, to help us have a healthy body, to your glory.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.
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Enjoy Your Lot

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We have all seen examples of the tragic early deaths of celebrities and other successful people who seemed to have everything.  Solomon writes about this in Ecclesiastes 6:2, “God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things.”
It is not that being successful or wealthy is wrong, but as we have seen on many occasions, those things do not provide happiness.
He says in Ecclesiastes 5:19, “And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.  God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.”
God has each of us where we are for a reason.  Sure it would be great to have lots of money and success, but we need to trust that God has a plan for us, and enjoy what we have, while waiting, with faith, for what we would like.
Dear Lord, it is in our nature to want more, but help us enjoy our lives and trust that you love us, and have us where we are for your reasons.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

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What Can You Accomplish?

Being a business and aviation enthusiast, I recently watched a video of a successful real estate business man, who began with nothing, take delivery of his new Gulfstream G550 jet. ($50 million price tag, if you are curious) When walking around it, he mentioned that, when younger, he couldn’t even dream big enough to believe in this level of financial success. Similarly, before his first Super Bowl game, do you think Tom Brady could have imagined he would lead his team to six Super Bowl wins? Do you think Mother Theresa ever thought she would impact the entire world with her work? Or do you think, when he was a young priest in Argentina, Pope Francis could have imagined ever becoming Pope?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:20 that we have no concept of what God can do, writing, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

The King James Version uses the description “exceeding abundantly above” rather than “infinitely more”. If you are interested, you can see how this was translated from the original Greek with this link.

My interpretation of this text is, we cannot even imagine what God is capable of doing in our world and our lives. We should take off the limits, and ask God for the things we need and want, and use them to bring glory to Him.

Dear Lord, help us remember, and believe, that you have complete power and authority over all things, and can accomplish much much more that we can imagine. Let us use all you provide to bring the glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Love Expels Fear

I have this thought, occasionally, which creates a bit of anxiety. Maybe you do too, “I trust God and his plans, but what if his plans include bad things that I fear, even though those bad things may have a purpose I cannot understand.”

To overcome this fear, I try to remember that God loves me, and all of His children, so much more than we can imagine.

John writes in 1 John 4:16-18, “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” and in verse 18, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

And Paul writes in Ephesians 3:16-18, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Without a doubt we will experience difficulty, sorrow and uncertainty, but we can always return to the knowledge that God loves us and we can expel our fear with this knowledge.

Dear Lord, what peace it provides to know that you love us beyond our understanding. Help us overcome our fear with this peace and realize the fullness of life and power that you promise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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