Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Keeping first things first”
Our Bible verse for today: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33
Our thought for today: “Keep God first in your life and trust Him for everything else.”
We here in the USA are known as a nation of workaholics. The average workweek is now 47.5 hours but it’s not uncommon for some people to work 60-70 hours a week. The recommended maximum number of working hours in order to maintain a balanced and healthy life is 37.
Americans typically take less than two full weeks of vacation each year, and many people leave unused vacation on the books. Studies indicate that a full-time employee really needs three weeks of vacation per year in order to fully decompress and renew, with four weeks being optimum.
Why do we work so hard? Well, to make more money of course. And why do we feel the need to make more money? So we can buy more stuff. And why do we need more stuff? So we can sell it in a yard sale five years from now when we finally come to the point of admitting that we never actually use it.
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus shows us a better way. In that passage He reminds us that our Father in heaven is fully aware of all our true needs – and He will meet them for us, if we will only make Him and the advance of His kingdom our first priority.
The truth is that we don’t need to kill ourselves working ridiculous hours trying to earn big paychecks just to fill the garage with big boy toys. We don’t even need to fuss and fear about our basic needs. God has us covered. We are to simply put Him and His kingdom interests first in our lives, utilize our time and resources accordingly, and trust Him for everything else.
I encourage you to take your Bible, get away to a quiet place for 15 or 20 minutes, and prayerfully study Matthew 6:25-34. It will give you a new perspective on the things that really matter.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 