Blue Light Special

For many years, a blue light was synonymous with good things. In the seventies, many of us used it (along with black lights) to make our glow-in-the-dark psychedelic posters come alive. Good times.

Kmart was synonymous with the blue light. Debuting in 1965, the “Bluelight Special” was a highlight to the weary shoppers who frequented their stores.

At certain times during an average day, a flashing blue siren in the center of Kmart's stores as would go off to direct shoppers to a discount item, as an announcement was blared on a loudspeaker;

 “attention, Kmart shoppers,”.

That is until the retailer phased out the Bluelight Special in the early 1990s

Today, a blue light is used for other things and is usually not synonymous with good things.

For instance, forensic scientists use a blue light (along with the chemical Luminol) to detect blood and other fluids at crime scenes.

Even Gordon Ramsey has been known to use blue lights to detect germs and other unmentionables in kitchens, pools, and hotel rooms. 

And yet, the truth is, a blue light, even in today’s uses, has the potential to lead to good things. It is just that at first, it can appear to be gross, and stuff I don’t want to know about, and things hidden are suddenly visible.

Thanks to Gordon, I now have those images stuck in my head every time I go out to eat or check into a hotel room!

When forensic scientists use it, their goal is not to see just how gross and messy the room in which the crime was committed is. Their goal isn’t to just see how bizarre the activity was.

No, they use the blue light because when it reveals things that are hidden, it can lead to evidence that will solve a crime and hold someone accountable for a crime that would have otherwise gone unsolved.

For Gordon Ramsey, in spite of what you may think, his goal is NOT to point out what is hidden to just point a finger and yell. His goal appears to be to correct an otherwise unhealthy situation.

He uses a blue light to point out stuff not visible so that things can be cleaned and changes can be made; thus resulting (when applied) in new and healthier ways to manage kitchens, pools, and hotel rooms. 

Believe it or not, Gordon is really looking out for what is wrong so that things can be made right.

Do you know that even the LORD has a “blue light”?

One of the blue lights that He uses is the Bible; which speaks and instructs us in areas that have hidden sins. In a similar way that a blue light exposes what is not easily seen, He allows us to see what has really been going on in our lives.

The Bible tells us that His Word (the Bible) is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

 

I am always amazed at the items that become exposed as well as His commitment to help me change the course that I have been on.

Another blue light is the Holy Spirit. He convicts us of sin:

“And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (John 16:8)

And He teaches us how to make adjustments so that we can do it correctly.

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever He receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.’ (John 16:12-15)

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26)

God’s blue light in our lives can be seen as either good or bad depending on how well we know and are known by Him.

The Lord’s goal, in spite of what you may think, is NOT to point out what is hidden to just point a finger and yell. His goal is to correct an otherwise unhealthy situation. The Bible says:

“Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” (Deuteronomy 8:5)

He uses a blue light to point out stuff not visible so that things can be cleaned and changes can be made; thus resulting (when applied) in new and healthier ways to manage all areas of our lives.  The Bible says:

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” (Hebrews 12:11)

Believe it or not, His goal is really looking out for what is wrong so that things can be made right and we can live as we were meant to live.

“But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin.” (Job 5:17)

“Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions.” (Psalm 94:12)

I’m not sure where you are at today. Perhaps the idea of someone using a blue light (literally or spiritually) in your life sends fear throughout your very soul. 

Take hope, my friend. The Lord only wants to point things out so that He can work with you to make corrections. He is simply asking you to ask Him:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

No matter where you are at today, you can awaken with the hope that as you turn to God each day, you will find His mercy fresh and new waiting for you to use. Great is His faithfulness; in that you can place your hope! 

Are you ready to get your life cleaned up? Have you tried to clean up your life with no success? 

Are you tired of trying to do it your way? Call 1-888-NEED –HIM; someone is waiting to talk with you.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ...” (Psalm 139:1-3)

All Scripture taken from New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sand, Rocks, and Trees

Recently, Cathy and I spent three days and two nights up on the North Shore. It is located on Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota. It is a destination that we have been going to over the thirty six years that we have been married; as well as the times when we individually went to that area prior to our marriage.

Our goal was to go from St. Paul to Grand Marais; staying in Two Harbors at night. The whole trip from St. Paul to Grand Marais can be done in a little over four hours. The from St. Paul to Two Harbors can be done in around two and one-half hours. We would have gone to Canada, but I forgot to take along our passports.

In the past, my goal was to get from point “a” to point “b” in a little time as possible; because I had a destination to get to. Over the years I have been trying to slow myself down and take in the scenery along the way.

Each and every time we discover something new and exciting that we hadn't seen before. This time was no exception.

What stood out to us this time was how many different beaches and coves there are on Lake Superior. It is almost as though someone had sorted out all of the rocks, sand, trees, and water into different beaches and coves on the entire shoreline of Lake Superior! 

Let me share with you some of my observations…

ROCKS: Each and every beach or cove has a different type, shape, and color of rocks. Some beaches have jagged rocks that are hard to walk on without the right type of shoes. Some have rocks so smooth they look as though someone came in and tumbled them in a rock polisher. Some have rocks that were all the perfect rock for skipping. Some were perfectly round made out of taconite or sand.

Some rocks were black; others were orange, gay, white, tan or red. Some were dull, and some were filled with stones that sparkled as they reflected the sunshine. Some areas even had rocks that look liked someone had gathered all of the variety of stones and melted them together into individual rocks made up of a composite of multiple types of rocks.

SAND: Each and every beach or cove has a different type, shape, and color of sand; from jet black to pristine white, as well as orange, gray, tan and red. Some of the sand was large grains, others were as fine as dust. Some was warm and some was cold to the touch.

WATER: Each and every beach or cove has a different type and color of water; from choppy to calm, from green water to almost clear. Some that was so clear that one could almost drink it and some was so covered in algae that one wondered why the water was stagnant.

TREES: Each and every beach or cove has a different type and color of trees; from pine trees to hardwoods. Some were tall and some were short; almost like bonsai trees! Some were fallen; others were so attached into the rocks that the very winter storms that ravage that area couldn’t remove them from where they were planted.

WILDLIFE: Each and every beach or cove has a different type of wildlife; from birds to fish to other types of waterfowl.

ATMOSPHERE: Finally, Each and every beach or cove has a different type of atmosphere. Some were crowded, while others were secluded. Some were covered in debris, others were pristine with absolutely no trash in any form. Some felt inviting while others gave off a feeling of uncertainty.

Some were harbors for large ocean-going ships, while others were places for kayakers to explore as they calmly paddled along. Some were littered with trash and even old ship wrecks that contained a reminder of who vastly different this great lake can be from one location to the next.

All of these different coves were on the same lake and yet each had their own unique things to offer to anyone who was willing to stop, wait, and observe. Each and every one came with the observation that someone had to have put this all together as part of some master plan.

My thoughts and take away:

Don't just go through this next week as though you are running a race; you already did last week.

Don’t go through this week thinking that you are alone and that no one is behind all of this placing into your life each and everything that is necessary to make you who you are called to be.

Don't just go through this next week as though there is no master plan for your life. Let God show you what He is doing.

Don't just get through this next week; there is so much to see that you won't notice if you don't slow down and enjoy the trip and soon you will be at thirty plus years wondering how the time flew by.

I'm praying for you and looking forward to your observations.

You’ve Stolen My Heart

At the time of this writing, I have four grandsons (Emmett, Everett, Gavin, and Rowan) and one granddaughter (Fallon Ann). I love each of them so very much, and oftentimes it is very hard for me after they have gone home (or when I have left their house). Each of them has a part of my heart.

I still don’t know how it happens, but (seemingly) each and every time we visit the grandchildren, they light up when they see us and come running over to give me (and Cathy) a hug.

And yet, because there is only one granddaughter, I can write this without offending the boys…that is until another granddaughter comes along.

But something happened to me on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 6:34 in the morning, when our daughter Elizabeth (with her husband Chris at her side) gave birth to her first child; Fallon Ann.

A casual look at my BlogSpot revealed that I have written about her at least sixteen times since she was born. I re-read some of them tonight as I am writing this week’s blog and cried because of my love for her.

I was thinking of the casual conversations Cathy and I had this past week when we spent time at Fallon’s hobby farm along with her brother Gavin, my daughter Elizabeth, and her husband Chris. Cathy and I had gone up to their home to help build a playhouse.

I should note that when I work on projects, I have a history of being goal orientated. But sometimes it has been at the expense of quality time with my children and grandchildren.  

This comes from my years working in construction where production meant profits. In fact, Cathy’s dad, when he was alive, used to “drive me nuts” when he would stop and start work on projects (such as when we built the cabin together) just so that he could spend time with his children and grandchildren.

He was a man who really knew that things were not more important than people and relationships. And so, as I thought of him on the drive up to the farm, I was determined this would not be one of those times so I asked Cathy to help me take some breaks to spend quality time with Fallon and Gavin.

I should note that even if I am focused or goal orientated, I have always made room for my children to help by handing stuff to me or swinging a hammer or cleaning up. Today was no acception as Gavin and Fallon worked alongside of us.

At one point towards five pm, Cathy told Gavin and Fallon that we would be staying over for supper so that grandpa could spend time with them. That was my cue to set down the hammer and stop working for the day.

And, just to make sure that I got the message, Cathy said gently said to me; “No more work so that you can spend time with them.” I took the opportunity to thank her and proceeded to go to Gavin and Fallon who called for me to push them on the swings.

It was a wonderful opportunity to swing and talk and laugh and spend quality time with just the two of them as mom and dad cooked supper with Cathy. During this time away from work, Fallon really touched my heart on two occasions.

The first came when I showed her a photo of a drawing that she did on the white board in our kitchen. The weekend before when she was at our house she started drawing a face in dry erase markers and I asked her who it was and she said; “It’s you” and gave me a big smile as she proceeded to draw another person whom I had assumed was grandma Cathy.

When I showed her the photo of the drawing and made a comment about grandpa and grandma, she said; “That’s not grandma, that is a picture I drew of you and me, grandpa”. I stood corrected and my heart was touched that she would draw a picture of the two of us.

After a while, Fallon said that she wanted to sweep out the clubhouse one more time before we ate, so I walked with her.

As we walked through her yard, talking about all sorts of things, Fallon said to me; “Grandpa, I’ve been trying to think of something special that just you and I can do together today.” This little girl was reciprocating love to me and desired to spend time with me and communicated it so very clearly.

And, as important as it was for her to get her clubhouse built, she wanted even more to spend time with the builder.

Now it is one thing to for me to think that I am a favorite person to my children and grandchildren and quite another when I find out that it may be true.

For some of us, this is easy to believe and receive. For others of us, this is not so easy to believe and receive. In fact, our minds can self-talk us into pushing it away.

And yet, the fact is my granddaughter loves her grandpa and wanted (wants) to spend time with him.

As I write this I realize that sometimes I do the same thing with God. Oh, I am grateful that He provides for me and forgives me (and doesn’t squash me like a bug).

But sometimes it is hard to believe and receive the fact that He wants to spend time with me; after all…if He only knew…oh wait, He does know…

Or that He could possibly ever say to me; “I’ve been trying to think of something special that just you and I can do together today.”

It is in these moments that I must believe that He has a part of my heart and stand on His Word that tells me that He demonstrated His own love toward me when I was a sinner and died for me.” (Romans 5:8)

He hung on a cross while we were yet sinners arms wide open, heart exposed, and longing for us to come to Him like my grandchildren do every time I see them.

And He isn’t as preoccupied with the religious things as we might think. And, as important as it is for us to do things for Him, He wants even more to spend time with the person doing the work.

He wants us to come to Him and spend time with Him as though nothing else matters.

How about you? Do you know that you are loved; really loved? Believe it or not you can. God is waiting for an opportunity to love you. But don’t take my word for it; take His – the BIBLE. Unsure where to start? Drop me a line pastortommyoestreich@gmail.com

I would love to share with you how you, too, can have a slate that is clean and heart that is open to love.

Or call 1-877-2GRAHAM (1-877-247-2426) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Boasting Weakness

“How was your game?” Cathy asked me when I came home from hockey this week. “Not great”; I told her.

I went on to say; “I played good defense and stopped and blocked several shots. At one point my goalie said thanks for saving some goals by taking the hit. But offensively, I didn’t score a goal or an assist and we seemed to be off as a team.”  

And, when I couldn’t play as well as I wanted to, I had to stop myself because I could feel self-criticism creeping into my vocabulary.

Yes, in the big picture, I will survive to play another and better game. And yes, it’s OK if I lose, but I don’t like to play and not make some difference to my teammates.

The fact is, parts of my game were out of my control and even though I did my best, I needed to admit that I had weakness in my game.

So, I have been pondering that word “weakness” this week as around me things have been beyond my control. People I have been working with have been making dumb decisions and seemingly throwing away all my sage advice.

All around me seemed (with my distorted lenses on) to be people whose lives were in chaos. Some of them ended up (actually) dying by drinking themselves to death or continuing to kill a relationship that at one point meant something to them.

Weakness is translated in the Bible:  feebleness (of body or mind); by implication malady; moral frailty: - disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness. more feeble, impotent, sick, without strength

None of us like to admit we have weakness in any part of our game or our lives. We want to believe that we are the superstar, the champion, the one who still has it (whether we had before or not).

And yet we all have weakness, no matter how hard we try to change the circumstance, and we all have areas we still struggle in or that are out of our control in our lives; and in the lives we try to help put back together.  

Simply put, this week I needed to admit that I had weakness in my life if I was going to survive this game of life.

I remember 22 years years ago when I was a young pastor some counsel that another older pastor gave to me. He said that IF I was going to work with people who wanted to kill themselves, I had to be “ok” with the fact that they may end up killing themselves no matter what I said or did. The same was true with people pondering an abortion or a divorce or struggling with an addiction.

The apostle Paul wrote about his weakness saying that he BOASTED in and about his weakness.

He had an area of his life that wasn’t as he wished it to be and prayed that the Lord would heal him so that he wouldn’t be weak any more.

He wrote that he prayed to be healed three times and that the Lord said to Paul; “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 

Paul’s responds (this amazes me) by writing; “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Earlier in that same letter to the Church in Corinth he wrote;“Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.” (2 Corinthians 11:29-30)

Boasting in his weakness? How??? Because Paul came to realize that his weakness was a conduit for the Lord to show His glory (through) Paul’s life. He didn’t have to have every area of his life working perfectly (as he thought it should be) for the Lord to use him.

Simply put, he could do his best and trust that God could still do great things through his best attempt; even if it wasn’t his best “game”.

Paul responded to this revelation by writing; “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10)

Paul is saying; “I just let Christ take over! And so, the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”

That is the kind of man I want to be, whether playing in a hockey game or in the game of life. A man who boasts in his weakness that the power of God and the glory of God may be seen by others who observe my life!

All Scripture Taken from NLT Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

At the Right Place…

It was one of those mornings when I was wondering what my purpose was. I wanted God’s will for my life. I had spent the morning in an extended time seeking the Lord and reading, due to an illness that kept me away from church.

My soul had been seeking direction for the next steps in my life and my heart was being examined to deal with my sins of commission as well as omission. My spirit felt washed as I went through waves of responding to what the Holy Spirit was doing in my life.

Was I really doing what God had created me to do? Was I spending my days in ways that honored Him? These were the questions in my mind as I paced the floor in my home office.

I thought of a comment that someone recently said to me; he had called me a ‘man of God’. I may be a minister but I don’t see myself as a man of God.

I am a child of God and I am a sinner who is saved by His grace… “sola gratia” (through God’s favor or grace alone) which means that God loves, forgives, and saves us not because of who we are or what we do, but because of the work of Christ. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is received “sola fide” (through faith alone). 

I continued to read and pray and ponder and let the Holy Spirit continue to bring up the dross that had been lodged in my heart. I responded to sin that was brought to my attention by confessing, asking for, and receiving His forgiveness.

I asked how I got to place where I was at; physically, emotionally, occupationally, as well as my state of life.

I recalled all the dreams and thoughts that I had when I was in Bible School responding to the call on my life to preach. I recalled when hands were laid upon me in 1990 to be a deacon in our local church. And then, over the next few years I was ordained as an elder and then as a pastor.

What had happened to that passion that I had when I set out to respond to the Lord’s call?

Again, I asked how I got to place where I was at; physically, emotionally, occupationally, as well as my state of life.

Just then, I heard an unusual noise so I searched the room to find out where it was coming from.  I narrowed it down to the place where I had been literally standing. The noise was coming out of the place where our boiler tank is located.

I opened the cover to discover that the tank was making noise because water in the tank was low; almost empty

NOTE: We have an “open” water heater system and the open tank is located on the third floor of our home; which is the same location as my office. Each month water is manually added to the tank rather than automatically as in “closed” water heater system. Without adding water, the system will not have enough to fill the radiators and heating system will not heat properly and you get a cold house…so it is very important to keep the levels checked each month during the heating season

As I went and got some buckets of water to fill up the tank, I realized that I had been at the right place that I was supposed to be that day. In fact, I was literally at the exact place because if I had not been where I was at, then I wouldn’t have heard the noise, etc. etc…

Often, we pray for the Lord’s will in our lives but miss the forest for the trees. Meaning, we simply can’t believe that His purpose for our lives may be simpler that we think it is.

We, like His disciples, want to be used by Him and assume what that means; oftentimes jockeying for positions and titles as we seek His perfect will.

But the fact is, His will is much simpler than we understand even though He said it in plainly in His Word, the Bible. In John 6 I find at least two things that are the will of God for your life and mine.

First of all, “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” (John 6:39)

Secondly, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Once again, I had to admit that I was where I was supposed to be. That He was working all things together for good because I did love Him and because I was called according to His purpose, and that I was predestined to be conformed to His image (See Romans 8:28-29) according to His purpose. 

Once again, I had to admit and be grateful that He was doing a work to bring revival in my life and would be faithful to complete that which He started (See Philippians 1:6 and Jude 1:24).

Once again, I had to admit that I had been at the right place.

Once again, I surrendered as clay to the hands of the Potter.

Did He Just Call Me A PAGAN?

As a pastor I see way too many people overwhelmed. This is true whether they know the Lord or not. Overwhelmed by stress and worry which often leads to never really living life to the fullest, all because of “what MIGHT happen”.


One of the main issues I see people overwhelmed with is the area of provision. This includes getting, saving, spending, and giving money. 


I see way too many Christians overwhelmed by concerns about provision and so they end up working way too many hours hoping to get just enough each month to get by; wondering when the other shoe will fall.


I have seen way too many marriages destroyed by issues about provision. Born-Again Christians who vowed “For richer or poorer…” Give up on their marriage because of being overwhelmed by debt. In fact my father’s advice to me on my wedding day was: “Whatever you do don’t fight about money…It ruined the first twenty five years of our marriage”.


In Psalm 37 it says multiple times; “DO NOT FRET!”  And yet we still do. 


Matthew 6:24-34 is one of the foundation verses for my Christian walk. In V24 Jesus said; “No one can serve two masters…” NO ONE!  The Son of God says; “You can’t do it!” Jesus said that you will EITHER HATE the one and LOVE the other. Or be LOYAL to the one and DESPISE the other.


Jesus said that you cannot serve God and mammon (“wealth”). Jesus is telling the truth and yet we still try to serve BOTH, and that is why we have trouble and are overwhelmed at times.


In V25 Jesus said; “Therefore” because you can’t serve two masters. In other words; “DO NOT WORRYABOUT YOUR LIFE! Don’t let it OVERWHELM you! Overwhelmed as you try to figure out how to provide food and drink! Overwhelmed as you try to figure out how to provide clothing! 


Jesus asks a simple question “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” The answer is YES! Life more than food and the body more than clothing!


If that is true then why then do we spend so much time: Overwhelmed by finances? Striving to make ends meet?


In V26 Jesus gives a simple illustration: LOOK AT THE BIRDS: They don’t sow or plant seeds, they don’t have tractors, don’t use weed-killer, and they don’t build barns…And yet - your Heavenly Father feeds them (the birds).


No wonder why birds seem happy-always singing a song!    SELAH!


Jesus is reminding us that we have a Father: He provides for the birds and He will provide for us; so we don’t need to be overwhelmed!


Jesus asks another simple question: “Are you not more valuable than them (the birds)?” The answer is YES! We are more valuable to the Father than the birds!...in fact I think that He actually likes us because we are His children.


In V27 Jesus asks a another simple question, “Which one of you with ALL of your worrying…” He said; “Can make yourself 18 inches taller?” The answer is NO ONE! So He asks; “Then why worry?” Worrying doesn’t change anything for good!


In V28 Jesus gives another simple illustration: LOOK AT THE FLOWERS: Ponder them to learn thoroughly. Examine carefully to see how they grow.


From what I know, flowers don’t toil and they don’t to grow weary or get  tired or get exhausted. They don’t labor with wearisome effort or burdens or grief. And they don’t get overwhelmed.


Think about it: Flowers don’t spin or dye their own fabric. They don’t own sewing machines and don’t make their own clothing…And yet - your Heavenly Father clothes the flowers.


In V.29 Jesus says that even Solomon with ALL of his money…He was one of the richest men in the history of man. In fact the Queen of Sheba gave him almost five billion dollars worth of gold! In other words he could afford the best suits and yet, was still not dressed as finely as any flower in the field!    SELAH!


In V30 Jesus asks; “If God so clothes the flowers of field…” Which are here today and tomorrow thrown in the furnace…will He not MUCH more clothe you? Will He not MUCH more PROVIDE for you?


The answer is YES! So…then why worry? Worrying doesn’t change anything for good!


V31 says “Therefore” because He will provide for you…”In other words: DO NOT WORRY! Or be anxious about life and what you need! DO NOT SAY: “What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?"


Jesus is saying ; Don’t be overwhelmed! Tired, overworked. Worried about getting things, Stressed about to make ends meet…Jesus our Lord – King of Kings is saying; “Don’t worry!”


Jesus says in V32 “After these things the PAGANS (Gentiles) seek”.


Wait; what is Jesus saying? Did He just call me a “pagan”?


No, He is saying that pagans worry because pagans don’t know Father and because they don’t have a relationship with the Father…because pagans don’t seek the Father.


Jesus is reminding you that you are not a pagan! You are a son or daughter of the Father; He will take care of you.


Jesus knows what we need: Is the creator of the eye unable to see or the Creator of the ear unable to hear? Jesus is telling you that you can trust Him --He is your friend. And since He cares, why should you be overwhelmed?


If I am not supposed to worry, then what am I supposed to do? - V33 Two things;


1.) SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM The kingdom is “the domain of the King”. Jesus already said a few moments earlier in Chapter 6 v.9; “When you pray say; “Thy kingdom come…“Give us our daily bread…”  Realize that the domain of King Jesus includes YOU and your needs. You don’t need to be overwhelmed by this life because He has a plan for you!


2.) Secondly, we are to SEEK FIRST HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Righteousness is “justification” or “right standing”. Because of Jesus we can come boldly in our hour of need! (Heb 4:18). Because of Jesus we can come to the Father with assurance.


His Kingdom is not about food or drink or clothing (Romans 14:17): It’s Righteousness – right standing with God and man. It’s Peace –beyond anything you’ve experienced. It’s Joy – in the Holy Spirit.


Jesus says if we seek those two things, then all these other things shall be added. That includes food, drink, and clothing. That includes house payments, utility bills, and cars. That includes college tuition and toothpaste.


Jesus concludes in V34 “Therefore”, because He will provide for you…”Don’t worry about tomorrow: Always stressing about having enough for tomorrow and never enjoying today’s provision. Always stressing about ten years from now: including retirement, college, house, car, etc… 


King David said in Psalm 37:25 that this was true in his life: “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” 


And this is true for Cathy’s and my life!


The Lord has been faithful to provide each time we had needs. We raised six children – on one income and sometimes little to no income. All my children, Cathy, and I went to college (some post graduate). All of us have been provided for in abundance! We never had a bill that we were unable to pay (not always sure how) and even bought a 3-story house with no income, no money in the bank!


My friend; no, you are not a pagan. You are a child of a Heavenly Father who knows what you need! He is longing to take of you!


Some Questions for your consideration:


Where are places that I am Overwhelmed instead of Overflowing?


What are some movements that I need to do to simplify my life? That might enable me to experience life beyond what I have expected or anticipated….


What are the steps that the Lord wants me to take in response?


What is the Lord calling me to do today?