Happy New year! This is the first episode of our 2016 Conversations here at VLC. In this week's conversation, Pastor Stuart Nice encourages us to go forward in our spiritual lives by seeking God's kingdom as our first priority.

The passage for this morning's conversation is Matthew 6:33-34.

"But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
(Matthew 6:33-34, God's Word Translation)

Sacred Reading, 00:00–12:10; Conversation, 12:10-44:20

Sacred Reading Text

“No one can serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.
“So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?
“Look at the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
“Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?
“And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. That’s the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it’s alive, and tomorrow it’s thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith?
“Don’t ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat? ’ or ‘What are we going to drink? ’ or ‘What are we going to wear? ’ Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you.
“So don’t ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
(Matthew 6:25-34, God's Word Translation)