Life Priorities for the Coming Year
Matthew 6:25-34 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Intro: The beginning of the year is a great time to make some adjustments in your life. You might call it an annual checkup or tune up. Some of us might need a complete overhaul. If so, I know Someone who is really good at that sort of thing! He does internal overhauls, extreme makeover heart edition, Divine Design, This Old House Made New, and many more!
-The temptation we often have around New Years is to try to manufacture these changes ourselves. We try to muster the inspiration and intestinal fortitude to change areas of our life with which we are unhappy. And as most of us know, sometimes it only takes a few days or weeks until we don’t even remember what we were trying to accomplish in the first place.
-There was a man who moved into a retirement community to spend the rest of his life there. It wasn’t long until he had made a number of friends. There was one lady he was especially attracted to, and she was attracted to him as well. They spent a lot of time together doing whatever people do in retirement communities. Finally one evening he proposed, asking her to marry him.
-The next morning he woke up and remembered his proposal, but he couldn’t remember her answer. So he approached his lady friend and said, "I’m really embarrassed. I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember if you said ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’” “Oh, thank goodness!” she replied. “I remembered saying ‘Yes’ but I couldn’t remember who asked me.” [adapted from Craig Smee, sermoncentral.com]
-We too can forget important things quite easily as we move through life. So today, I want to keep things really simple and leave you with a few short thoughts from Matt. 6 that will help us make important changes with God’s help in the year 2011.
1. Seek God’s Rule in every area of your life
-God’s kingdom speaks of His leadership & authority. He is not simply our adviser; He is our King before whom we bow in reverence; whose wisdom we do not challenge; whose ways we must not deviate from – all because we recognize His rule over all things and choose to be under His rule- a part of His Kingdom! When we refuse to do things God’s way, we are moving in the opposite direction of the King!
-When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He told them to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Seeking the kingdom of God first means that we are seeking to do His will, yielding every area of our lives to what He wants, rather than what we want.
-So, let’s examine ourselves. Is God ruling in your life? Is He the Boss?
• Does He have the final say in your family? Do you seek Him together as a family? Do you pray together, worship together? Do you talk about the Lord together? What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in your family?
• Does He have the final say in your finances? Are you honoring Him as Your Provider in the best way you know how? When He says, “Bring the first 1/10th of what I provide for you to My house, trusting Me to provide for every need,” do you show trust or doubt? Are you being honest in all your financial dealings? Even in your taxes? This is God’s will for His people. Are you always trying to get something for nothing, regardless of who comes out on the short end? Are you more motivated by financial gain than financial integrity? What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in your finances?
• Does God have the final say in your relationships? Do you love people unselfishly, looking out for their long-term interests (esp. interests that last beyond this lifetime)? God wants us to value every human being, knowing that he or she is created in His image. That leaves no room for using other people for what we can get out of them. People are not tools to better your life! God wants us to get to know people, recognizing the value He has placed in them, and helping bring out the best in them! Here’s a tough question: Do you ever allow people into your life who can do nothing for you? Perhaps they don’t make you laugh or feel good or enjoy life like some of your friends, but for some reason God brings them into your life. Is God ruling in your relationships? What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in your relationships?
• Does God have the final say on how you spend your time? How much do you spend with Him, how much time is given to others, and how much time is spent just on yourself? We all need time for ourselves, but that should not be the first priority. Do you spend enough quality time with your family? Do you take time to really listen to your family? Notice what they are saying, but also notice what is not being said. Is there a lack of closeness? Time and attention can help produce intimacy in your family. What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in how you use your time?
• How about your talents and giftedness? God equipped you to do certain things well. These things usually help the church function (both formally and informally) as God intended through teaching, helping, giving, serving, showing mercy, care giving, comforting, leading, prophesying, encouraging, healing, peacemaking, sharing your faith, and many other areas of ministry. Does God have the final say on how, when, and where you use those gifts? The first concern may be simply that you are willing to use them whenever you can. The how, when, and where will follow as you follow Christ. What is one thing you can do to seek God’s will in using your gifts for Him?
-I know I’ve just thrown a lot at you to think about. Please don’t get overwhelmed by it. Start with one thing that God brings to your mind and begin to strategize with Him on a game plan. In these and other areas that come to your mind, spend some time thinking and praying and write down some of your thoughts. Then, come up with a next step for each area that you can take action on in the coming week.
-Make it your habit to align yourself with God’s will in every area of your life. As you pray each day, ask the Lord to show you His will in these areas. “Lord, what is your will for my family? finances? time? Talents? Relationships?”
-Seek the kingdom of God first!
2. Seek God’s Righteousness
-How do we seek God’s righteousness? What does that mean? Well, the Bible tells us that nobody on this earth is righteous. Romans 3:9-12 … Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
-How then do we seek God’s righteousness? Well, as Paul makes very clear in Romans and Galatians, God’s righteousness comes by faith in Him! It comes by believing what He said, which is expressed through obeying what He said. Believing produces a heart change, and the heart change produces a change in our behavior.
-What is it that we must believe? What has God said to us that can make us righteous?
-Well, there are hundreds of ways to say it, and hundreds of Bible verses we could turn to. Let’s look at just a few:
John 1:12 …to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
Romans 10:11, 13 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 4:20-25 20 Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness-- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
-Is that awesome or what! God will credit righteousness to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
-So having genuine faith in God and following His plan to make us righteous (believing in Jesus and the work He did through His death and resurrection), this is the first step in seeking His righteousness.
-Unfortunately, sometimes we are so careful to avoid anything that suggests working for our salvation that we present an incomplete view of faith. As James wrote, “Faith without works is dead.” So genuine faith expresses itself in love and good works. If a person says, “I believe,” but does not obey God, then they have missed something along the way. God’s righteousness makes us new people in Christ! The old way of living is gone! Everything becomes new.
-Seeking God’s righteousness means believing God and living like we believe God! God Himself is the One who will help us do right things, as we seek to please Him and honor Him by first believing Him, but also doing His will.
-There is one more thought I’d like to share here. Righteousness can also refer to justice. When Jesus said to seek God’s righteousness, I believe He was telling His listeners to realize that God is their Judge. Many of them had been slighted and mistreated and taken advantage of financially by others. Rather than expending all their energies demanding justice and payback, they were to let it go, and seek God’s righteous judgment on the matter. God sees all and will take care of things – especially for those who seek Him. And that leads us to our final point.
3. Trust God for His Provision
-That means don’t worry! Folks, as our economy declines, and gas prices rise to $5 per gallon, and groceries and utilities increase, we might feel the urge to worry. How are we going to make it? What will happen?
-Jesus said not to worry about your basic needs. That is the mark of a pagan: someone who worries that they won’t have adequate food, clothing, shelter, or stuff! So they devote their time and energy to the act of accumulation. Get all you can and can all you get! Store up everything you can.
-Those who trust God can devote themselves to seeking Him, seeking His rule over every area of their lives, and seeking His righteousness. When we prioritize doing life with God and honoring Him, then we can claim this promise: all these things (adequate food, clothing, and shelter) will be given to you as well.
Conclusion: As we close, I hope you have or will take a good look at your life. Look back over the past year or more and evaluate the direction of your life. If you have not plotted a course that included Jesus, He will help you set a new course today – if you will let Him.
-Matthew 6:33 “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
1. Seek God’s Rule in every area of your life
2. Seek God’s Righteousness
3. Trust God for His Provision
-Maybe you need to invite God into your life today. If you are not right with God, Jesus wants you to come to Him and trust Him to make you right! Offer Him every area of your life. Ask Him to forgive all your past mistakes and sins, based on the death and resurrection of Jesus. He will make you righteous because of how good He is – not because of how good you are! If you need to do this, would you let me know by raising your hand?
-Finally, maybe you’ve had trouble trusting God to provide for you and your family. You have allowed worry to eat away at your faith until you imagine the worst future possible for you and your family. God’s promises provide the light and the hope to navigate through this life. He promised to take care of you as you give yourself to Him. Maybe you need to renew your commitment to Him and ask Him to take away your doubt and worry and help you trust Him! Let’s pray.
