“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
Satan subtly uses worry and anxiety to distract us from our true mission as God’s children. When we focus too closely on our own suffering, disappointments, or losses, it’s easy to lose sight of the needs around us. Our perspective narrows, and our hearts turn inward.
Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India in the late 1800s, embodied the call to look beyond herself. Through hundreds of letters, she urged Christians back home to step away from worldly pursuits and notice the lostness and suffering surrounding them. She lived out the call of Luke 9:23 to deny herself, take up her cross daily, and follow Christ. Often, we think of this verse in terms of grand, martyr-level sacrifices in far-off lands. But the word deny literally means “to forget oneself,” even right here in our personal lives.
When we shift our focus outward and seek first His kingdom, we lose sight of our own interests and find unexpected healing and joy. We grasp anew the depth of our fulfillment in Christ, the One who denied Himself and put His own glory aside to be our suffering Savior.
Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India in the late 1800s, embodied the call to look beyond herself. Through hundreds of letters, she urged Christians back home to step away from worldly pursuits and notice the lostness and suffering surrounding them. She lived out the call of Luke 9:23 to deny herself, take up her cross daily, and follow Christ. Often, we think of this verse in terms of grand, martyr-level sacrifices in far-off lands. But the word deny literally means “to forget oneself,” even right here in our personal lives.
When we shift our focus outward and seek first His kingdom, we lose sight of our own interests and find unexpected healing and joy. We grasp anew the depth of our fulfillment in Christ, the One who denied Himself and put His own glory aside to be our suffering Savior.
Scripture Focus
Philippians 2:5-8
Insight
“You may never know … the results of a word or a deed done for Christ. But nothing that is done for Him is ever wasted.” (Amy Carmichael, 1955)
Bible In A Year
- Nehemiah 3-4
- Psalm 32
- Mark 11