But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NIV
Each morning I receive an email in my inbox, "Daily Agenda for Tim Southern as of 5am." It's a summary of everything on my calendar for that day. The Tasks app also reminds me of the upcoming To-Do items for the day; for example, these were some items from yesterday, Daily Devotion, Church bulletin info to Barbara, etc. These tools help me stay organized and get things done.
You may use similar aids, whether paper-based or electronic; they order the known and expected. But, as we know, life doesn't always agree to operate in an orderly fashion. There is a certain amount of chaos and unpredictability to each day–the unexpected things. Sometimes those things can take minutes, and others, hours or even days. But they bring with them new stress and worry to our perfectly–in theory anyway–scheduled day.
In verse 34, Jesus says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." How do we respond when trouble–the unexpected–of each day happens? Do they throw us into a tizzy and an unrecoverable tailspin for the rest of the day?
It's so tempting to roll up our sleeves and jump headlong into fixing the trouble–even those things that can't be quickly resolved–without fully understanding what it means. It disrupts our otherwise organized day, and we want to deal with it and return to our ordered day. But before acting and we should ask God's help–remember, this is the same God who brought order from chaos and cares more for us than the flowers of the fields and the birds of the air. It is vital to seek God's help to order our day, especially when disruptions come. These are an invitation to ask God what he desires and how we should respond. He gives us peace when we turn all our angst over to him. By his hand, he will guide us so our ordered and unordered day is the same.
God, thank you for the loving care you extend to us daily. We confess we like our lives to be ordered and predictable, and when trouble comes, we try to handle it ourselves instead of first seeking your will. We needlessly become stressed and worried when you are ready to help. Forgive us; we pray. Help us remember to bring everything to you and to respond to every situation as Jesus did with gentleness, kindness, and love. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
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