Todd Galberth's "Decrease" Devotional Notes: Day 5

Day five of Todd Galberth's "Decrease" devotional, entitled "Get 'I' Out of the Way," referenced one of my favorite scriptures, Matthew 6:33:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NIV)

I've cited this verse a couple of times on this blog, but my main focus in those posts was the latter half of the statement, "...and all these things will be given to you as well." That's the problem that Todd addressed in today's section. The King James version of Matthew 6:33 replaces the word given with the word added. Without realizing it, I zoomed in on the "additions" so closely that I almost completely overlooked the first (and most important) part of the sentence, "But seek FIRST his KINGDOM..."

Todd Galberth - "Decrease" devotional / Todd Galberth online store

When I mentioned this scripture a while back, I said that if we go to God first, He will add bonuses to our lives. That's still true, but Todd's message made me think of something very important that I neglected in my explanation: How hard it is to 1) Set aside time to actively seek God, and 2) Accept what He tells us when we seek Him. We all set goals for ourselves, and that's a perfectly healthy practice. We can even go to God and tell Him we want to do X, Y, and Z. In fact, we're supposed to make our requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6), however, there's a catch: even while we're telling God what we want, before we get consumed by our ideas and try to force things to happen, we have to acknowledge that He is still sovereign. We have to open ourselves up and allow our plans to be shaken, stirred, or even completely destroyed to match His will. Even when it seems like He's turning our world upside down, we can rest in knowing that He will supply all of our needs. Today's "Medicine Music" was the title track on Todd's album, Decrease. I've been listening to it since September of last year, but the lyrics, especially the chorus, hit hard every time:

Don't let my will get in the way

Don't let my flesh drive You away

Lord, I decrease

Have Your way through me

Todd Galberth - Decrease (2017) / Amazon

Day 5 takeaway: I want my wants to line up with God's will. My thinking, my paradigms, my goals, everything I thought I knew, it's all shifting and changing...and surprisingly, I'm okay with that. I have to be. I'm relinquishing control. However God chooses to move, I'm all in. I'm moving out of my own way, and more importantly, I'm moving out of His way. Less of me, more of He.

Click here to read yesterday's notes.