Today’s scripture: Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Julie Walsh):
You’ve been grinding away at the work wheel for years now at your company, when the position above yours opens up. You’ve got the skills and seniority so this job should easily come to you, but you immediately begin buttering up the boss until you close the deal. You arrive early, stay late, and volunteer for overtime. You push extra hard to turn projects in before they even reach deadline and offer to head up other assignments that aren’t typically in your purview.
On top of that, you have finally met Mr. Right and you are giddy with romantic feelings. The two of you spend every free moment together talking, sharing, and discovering each other. You meet for lunch, a late dinner, then call each other at bedtime and talk on the phone until the wee hours of the morning. Weekends are spent together at local fairs and festivities before heading out to the clubs at night.
Your new relationship has you motivated to finally get into good physical shape so you scour the internet looking for diet trends. You purchase healthy-living cookbooks and flag all the recipes that look like they won’t make you gag. You obsess over food labels at your local health food store and you squeeze in an hour of cardio and an hour of weights at the gym each day.
Life is good. Or is it?
God is pleased when we find joy and motivation in our lives, but, just maybe, so is Satan. I have long assumed that because Satan is an evil entity, he works solely in dark and evil ways in our lives. But lately I have given much more credence to the idea that the devil will use any method — even the good things — to distract us from putting God first in our lives. In Satan’s eyes losing weight, romancing a new partner, or impressing the boss can simply serve as hurdles and obstacles to time with and devotion to God.
It’s critical that we learn to include God in every moment of our day. It’s too easy to fall out of the discipline and routine of inviting God’s presence into each of our activities, but it is just as easy to make a change today.
Next time you are at work crunching numbers, talk about your day as if the chair across from your desk is occupied by God. Talk about faith and theology with Mr. Right. Pray together and include activities that will honor and serve God. Make your work-out sessions a time of reflection and prayer — or listen to podcast sermons — instead of merely counting endless repetitions. In all things you do, seek God first.
Thought for the day: Satan will use anything to distract you from God. Put your focus on God back into place today, taking God everywhere you go.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.