If you could understand how God works, you wouldn’t be stressed about what is happening right now. You would know God’s hand is over you and he is working in the unknown on your behalf. But understanding how God works is beyond our human imagination. Therefore, we’re simply called to trust.

Can you stop trying to understand it, and just trust God here? Can you stop trying to figure it out and receive God’s provision along the way? Isn’t that really our entire lives? Every day we’re thinking we know, but in reality we don’t really know. We don’t know what will happen next. We don’t know what tomorrow holds. And all that unknowing can either create anxiety and stress, or it can create a close relationship of trust with the only one who does know.

I can promise you this, God’s intentions for you were not for you,his miraculous creation, to be walking around in this one lifetime she gets on this earth, stressed and anxious. His intentions were for you to be the branch and he be the vine, and when you are directly connected to him, you bare fruit. Are you connected and baring fruit, or have you disconnected in stress and anxiety, withering away with nothing good growing in your life?

Oh sis, you’ve disconnected somewhere along the way! The lack of goodness growing in your life is an indication of a disconnect from the source of all things good.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Well that sounds great, but can someone tell me exactly how do I seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Can you put that in words I understand? I mean seriously, if we’re going to do it, don’t we need to understand exactly what we’re doing? Let’s dig deeper.

Today we’re going to look at 3 translations of Matthew 6:33.

First, the Contemporary English Version:
But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

How do you figure out what God wants you to do? Well first, you ask him. What if you started every day by asking him where he wanted you to go and what he wanted you to do that day? What if you made yourself fully available to be where he wanted you to be and do what he wanted you to do?

You see, this is a way of living wide open, searching for what God has for you next. A pre-determined availability for anything he so chooses. This is an open hand, holding nothing back and clinging to nothing as it passes through your hands. Enjoy it while you have it and freely let it go as it passes.

Could you do that? Could you be available to do what God wants you to do today, or are you too busy? Seriously, has your busy life kept you from being available for God’s work? What do you need to let go of so you’re available to do what God has for you to do? My guess would be those “other things”.

You know, those “other things”. We all want those other things. But the great news is God isn’t saying he’s sentenced you to a life without those things. He simply says if you will be available to do what he wants you to do, he will give you those other things too! It’s when those “other things” become your priority, then you stop the flow of God’s goodness in your life.

Second, the Amplified Bible:
But first and most importantly aim for His way of doing things with the attitude and character of God, and all these things will be given to you also.

How would God do what you need to do today? How would he show up for your day of work or your duties at home? What would his attitude be in your circumstances? What would God’s character look like in your reality? We know that God is love. Girl, God would be LOVE in your circumstances today. If you aim to do your thing the way God would do it, you gotta do it with love. Plain and simple.

Exodus 34:6 also tells us more about the character of God. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. That’s the character we should be living with. Hot dang, that makes for a good day of living regardless of the circumstances. Girl, if you’re wanting a guide for living today, there it is.

Be gracious, that means be freaking nice.
Be compassionate, that means stop and care about this.
Be slow to anger, which means don’t jump to conclusions, don’t assume worst case scenario, and don’t go looking for offense.
Abound in love, which means love a whole heck of a lot. Let love be your driving force and the reason you do everything.
And finally, be faithful. Girl, just do what you said you were going to do. Follow through, stop considering if you feel like it and do what you know you need to do. You will start feeling like it when you’re 3/4 of the way through.

What will be the reward for living this way? Oh yeah, all those other things, they’ll be added on top. You do your part, God is guaranteed to do his!

And finally, The Message Translation: Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find your every day human concerns will be met.

Steep your life. Steep like a tea bag in hot water. Let it sit and be infused. Let God-reality, God-initiative, and God-provisions get down deep in your soul and change you. Oh heck yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Look around and see what God has already done in your life. That is your reality. Look at all he already started. That is his initiative. Look at all he has provided. That is his provision. And when you are surrounded by it, your life is steeped in it, and therefore changed.

When you see God in everything all around you, you no longer worry about him being in what is coming next. You already know he has gone before you. You trust he will bring you what you need next as you do what you need to do here. And guess what, you will miss out on nothing. None of God’s goodness will be withheld from you. All your needs will be met. All your concerns will be covered. And sister let me tell you, God has the ability to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond, far greater than you ever imagined.

Now, here’s what this isn’t … this isn’t a formula for gaining wealth. “Do this and you will be rich because God wants you to be rich.” Nope. Instead what this is, is a description of how God works. It’s a literal connection of you the branch, to him the vine, and the good fruit you produce in your life as a result. This is a formula for how to live today, understanding the description of how God works.

So back to that simple prayer of asking God what he wants you to do today. Will you be available to respond to the promptings of the Almighty? Will you put his work first and will you do it with his character and attitude? Because girl, if you will, all this other stuff will be added too and you don’t even have to worry about it.

But if you’re seeking the other stuff first, then the struggle will be real and you will miss out on the fullness of life God has available for you. Let’s just get it right today. God first, aiming to live this day his way, surrounded by everything he has already done, knowing when we do, everything else just comes naturally.

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