Devotions from James Smith’s book, The Good and Beautiful Life

In Matt. 6:33 we are told to see the kingdom of God first which means “making the reality and principles of God’s kingdom our first and primary concern.”  It means facing our trials and troubles not with anxiety but with trust that God can and will work in them.  We can pray, care for the poor and do all kinds of good things but still our primary concern is what God is doing.  If we put anything ahead of the kingdom of God, they become idols, even though they are good things. 
Worry prevents us from seeking His kingdom.  “Anxiety is foolish and accomplishes nothing except to put God out of the picture.”   As long as we worry we can’t seek His kingdom first. It is useless to worry about tomorrow for we live only in the present and can count on Him for tomorrow. 

In Phil 4:6-7 instead of worrying we are told to pray. We are invited to turn our cares into prayers and as we do this we put the matter into God’s hands.

It allows God to use the resources of the Kingdom to meet our needs. As we do this we discover great peace that is beyond our understanding.  As long as we live in fellowship with God, we have nothing to fear for nothing can separate us from His love.