Yahweh

                           THE AWESOMENESS OF GOD ALMIGHTY

So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows

That you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt. 6:31-34).

Jesus said that we should not worry about our everyday needs such as food, drink, and clothing. I believe this principle extends to all the concerns we have in life, including our relationships and finding that “special someone.” Our first priority as believers is to seek the Kingdom and righteousness of God. If we do that, He will see to it that we receive all those other things. The key is to fix our attention on God’s will, God’s Word, and God’s glory, and trust Him for the rest. Seeking the Kingdom and righteousness of God is like walking down a road toward a particular destination, keeping our eyes focused on the goal ahead of us.

As long as we stay on the road before us, we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and in His righteousness, which means knowing how to live, act, and relate correctly in life. This knowledge comes through God’s Word and from spending time in His presence. Along the way, various paths and alleys branch off from the road on either side. In those alleys stand people or objects that try to get our attention. They represent distractions, things that are not necessarily bad in and of them, but can cause us to take our eyes off of the Lord. Consider a young man who is making his way down the road, diligently pursuing the Kingdom of God.

All of a sudden, in one of the alleyways, he sees a very attractive young woman. Stopping dead in his tracks, he says to him, “Wow, she’s really cute! I’m going to check her out!” and then saunters over to make her acquaintance. Two things have just happened.

First, his eyes, which, a moment before, were filled with images of God’s Kingdom, are now filled with the image of the young lady.

Second, as he waiting and dating moves toward her, he will at some point step off the path because she is not on the road with him, and because he is not watching where he is going. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle. Unless you keep your eyes straight ahead, the bicycle will not go straight; it will swerve to the left or right and throw you off balance. Once the young man lets his eyes wander to the alley, he will veer off the path, losing sight of God in the process. If he is not careful, before he knows it, he will end up somewhere he never intended to go.

Anytime we start seeking people, we will be led by people. This is the dynamic of balance that God wants us to see. Once we become preoccupied with someone, or with seeking a particular person, we run the risk of losing God’s direction.

If we step off the road to the Kingdom, whatever path we take will lead us backward so that whenever we do eventually make it back to the road, we will likely be bruised and bleeding and farther away from our goal than when we began. Someone may object, “But if I don’t go looking, I’m going to end up walking this whole road by myself.” That’s not how the dynamics work in the Kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33 says that if we seek first God’s Kingdom and righteousness, then “all these things will be given” to us. The King James Version says, “All these things shall be added unto you” (emphasis added). The Greek word for “added” is the same root word from which we get our word “magnetize.” This means that, as we go along our way seeking the Kingdom of God, all these other things that we are concerned about will be added—drawn to us like a magnet. We won’t have to go looking for them. Whenever we follow God’s principles, we receive God’s provision and enjoy God’s promises