A New Day, Another Chance

I’ve been feeling guilty lately for not spending more time in God’s Word, and noticing that the well has run dry as far as writing anything worthwhile as a result. Tonight I wandered over to Biblegateway.com and read the verse of the day, Matt 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Talk about a direct hit!

That one verse pretty well sums up why I’ve felt ‘out of synch’ lately – I’ve been so busy trying to be active and engaged in the world around me that I lost my focus. The rest of the chapter talks about giving and fasting and praying without drawing attention to your actions, and not going after or worrying about treasures of this world. All things I know, but apparently needed the reminder to practice.

I worry a lot about our country, and how far we have drifted from our foundations. It is humbling to realize that I can so easily be set adrift myself. I want to be a part of the solution, and yet have no strength to act. As the verse says, I need to stop worrying about all of that, and focus on God’s kingdom.

The next thing I noticed was an article on the website stating the statistics on the top book searches there in the past month. They listed the top 10 cities that accessed the site, and the top 5 books of the Bible searched from each city. There were only 8 books listed, with Psalm 23 showing up in all but one city. The books and chapters, in alphabetical order, were:
1 Corinthians 13,
Genesis 1,
James 1
Jeremiah 29
John 3, 17,
Proverbs 2
Psalms 23, 46, 91, 146
Romans 8
(Matthew 6 didn’t make the top 8)

It made me wonder about my own reading habits. In the richness of what God has given us, 66 books that teach us who He is and His plan for humanity, how often do I barely skim the surface? These are all great scriptures, but I hope that I don’t become complacent, just referring to these familiar words over and over again. I want to know God better; I want to be overwhelmed and humbled by His glory.

Forgive me, Lord, for losing sight of what really matters. Thank you for giving me another chance, another day, to seek you with all my heart.