I lose earrings all the time. As a teenager, I got a second piercing in one of my ears just so I could still wear all my earrings that were missing their twin. As an adult, I let this extra hole close up. I thought I had outgrown losing my earrings. But I was wrong. I'll knock an earring off my nightstand and never find it again. You'd think after losing so many earrings in my life that it wouldn't even bother me, but it does.
I carefully tuck each earring missing its match into a special little corner of my jewelry box. I hope and search and long for and even feel shame over not being able to find my earrings. There’s a little piece of me that is constantly on the lookout. And all my searching makes a treasure of these missing earrings. Earrings that I didn't even like become like precious gems when I can’t find them.
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
This is the problem of human longing. We're always seeking something. And the more elusive that treasure becomes, the more we want it. We make treasures of our desires, placing our eternal hope in receiving everything we long for. It's like we have a jewelry box full of God’s abundant provision. But instead of rejoicing in that treasure, we become fixated on the missing earring no matter its value.
This is why Jesus reminds us to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33a) These words come immediately after a command not to be anxious about food and clothing. If we fixate on what we do not have instead of the bountiful provision of our heavenly Father, our seeking will lead to dissatisfaction and anxiety.
Entrust Your Needs and Your Longings
Sister, I know that you have needs you are longing to have met. They may be physical needs like the money necessary to buy food and clothes. Or they might be a desire for healing from mental or physical disease. Your longing might be for the next season, maybe for marriage and children, or for an opportunity to work from home or work outside the home. It could be a godly longing for a house big enough to welcome others into, family unity amid dysfunction, or a new friend.
Do not forget: the Almighty Creator who cares for lilies and sparrows also cares for your needs (Matt. 6:25-32). So heed the words of Jesus and do not be anxious. Don't spend hours or days or entire seasons of your life searching for the gifts of this world. They may become treasures more precious to you than God himself. Instead, cling to this promise of Jesus. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).
Seek First the Kingdom
Everything you need, you will receive, when God becomes your ultimate treasure because God meets our deepest needs with himself. Yesterday we launched our Seek First collection. Our prayer is that it will point you to this truth and remind you that God is the only One worthy of pursuing as your ultimate treasure.
One way that we learn to treasure God is by knowing him through the gift of his Word. Our new Walk In Grace journal will help you do that through studying the first part of Jesus' life and ministry presented in Matthew 1-7.
In this journal, you'll find question prompts to help you sink your roots deeply into the text. This is to help you understand both its meaning and how it applies to your life.
You'll find a printable PDF of Matthew 1-7 here. You'll use this PDF along with the journal as you study Jesus' words.
Seeking the Truth of Scripturre
If you want to meditate on or memorize the Scripture that you're studying, we know you'll love the accompanying Sermon on the Mount verse cards. They will serve as beautiful reminders of a few sections of Scripture from Matthew 5-7. We believe these are essential for women to have memorized. These cards include the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the parable of the wise man who builds his house on the rock.
The "seek first the kingdom" pen serves as the perfect tool for your journal. It's also a helpful reminder of where to set your heart throughout your day.
We want to encourage you to ask at least one other woman to journey with you through this Walk In Grace Matthew 1-7 journal. To make that process simple, we've created a Growing Together Group Guide. This simple guide helps friends talk about what they've learned after each week of study.
We'll begin studying on March 1 as a Well-Watered Women community. If you join, you'll be able to follow along with a short teaching video each Monday on IGTV. You can also share what you're learning in the comments of our weekly Friday post. These posts will coincide with the study. We would love for you to join us!
Seeking God Together, Maggie
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