A Call to be Second

Today was a really good day for me. Even though I haven't accomplished everything that I need to for school as of yet things are still good.

I had the day off of work today, which was really nice because I've worked the last couple Sunday's in a row. I have found that when I work Sunday and I cannot go to church my entire week is thrown off because my brain seems to forget what day of the week it is. So today I was able to go to church and it felt great to be worshipping with fellow believers this morning. I was not at my home church however, because I stayed in the city yesterday to go to the Wonderful Wedding Show with my best friend and then our college and career group came into the city to go skating and came to hang out at my apartment.

I knew that I had the day off and I knew that I was desperately craving fellowship with other believers so I decided to go to Oasis Community Church with my roommate and her boyfriend. They have been attending this church pretty regularly when they are in the city for school and I know others who attend this church and have said that it is really good and the doctrine is sound so I thought I would try it out.

I am so glad that I decided to go to Oasis this morning and not some other church that is also close to my apartment because the message that the pastor gave was very good and something that I needed. (It was a message that I am sure many people need to hear and be reminded of often.)The pastor spoke on Matthew 6:25-34. He was focusing on making sure our priorities are straight which will help us diminish our worries. Some of the notes that I took at the service include these:

• Do all that you can do and then rest in God.
• Worry is a faith issue. When going through circumstances it is important to trust that God has my best interests in mind.
• Worry is practical atheism.
• He knows what I need. I need to trust in that and that He will bring me to it in the right time.
• When God is our first priority these worries soon disappear and God takes care of them and me.
• Put God's kingdom ahead of my own. "And all these things will be given to you as well" - God will show up and provide what I need because He will be glorified through me putting His needs and kingdom ahead of my own.
• Matthew 6:34 "So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own."

One other great reminder that Pastor Dustin emphasized during his message today is that to make sure our priorities are straight are by serving God in what ever way He calls us to in the moment. It may be simply shutting off whatever form of media you are 'enjoying' and read His word, it may be going out and physically serving, it ma be monetary giving to God's kingdom or any number of other things. It is in this call to serve God that we will begin to worry less because His will is being done and He takes care of His creation which is exactly what we are. We, as humans, are a piece of God's creation that He loves so dearly that He planned our lives out even before we were born (Psalm 139:16 "Your eyes saw me unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.") It is in this promise that I can rest upon. If I am to put God first and myself second He will take care of me.