New Beginnings, Volume 1, 2009

Pastor Jim Verkest, Mosinee UMC

Matthew 6:33

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Our country has entered into a time of deep recession or so it seems as one looks at the state of the economy.  We hear about hundreds of thousands of people who are unemployed with thousands more being laid off each week.  We have seen the stock market indices fall 40-50% this year alone.  Home foreclosures are happening at a record pace and the confidence of the American consumer is at a low.  What can the consumer find joy in except the falling price of gasoline?

If one places their faith and trust in the things of the world there is little doubt why one would be depressed in this present time.  Many people have watched their retirement funds be cut in half.  People are putting off retirement because they no longer can afford to stop working.  The food pantries of our communities are being emptied and people ask, “what is this world coming to”.  The answer is simply that the world has always been a place of transient promises.  Economic times like these have been part of the cycle of human enterprise long before capitalism took the stage.  Nations rise and nations fall. Fortunes come and fortunes go.  In the end it is like the prophet Isaiah said 800 years before Christ, “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever”, (Isaiah 40:8).

So in the midst of the troubles of our time where can we go to find hope?  We can find hope and assurance where people of faith have found it for thousands of years, in the strength of our faith in God.  The one thing that is absolutely clear as we read the words of the Bible is that God loves us and desires to have a deep and profound relationship with us.  This means that God only wants good for us.  As we see so clearly today, the things of the world can not be depended on.  But God is faithful and God has always provided the security and peace that we can not find in the things of the world. 

If we want to be people who truly enjoy our lives, then we need to start putting our priorities into place.  In Matthew we hear Jesus saying, “seek first” God’s kingdom and righteousness and then all of the other things we think we need will be provided.  They will be provided by God for it’s His great pleasure to meet the needs of His children.  Seeking God’s kingdom means placing God above all else.  It means placing our faith in God’s grace, forgiveness, and love rather than money, power, and sex.  It means also acknowledging our human failures and frailties and asking God to both forgive us and empower us to live a more holy life.  When we choose to be faithful to God and God’s purposes for our life, we will discover real hope and peace.

If you are struggling in life right now, why not come to God in Christ Jesus and experience a beautiful new beginning.  Claim the promises of God for God’s love is forever.