“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Max Lucado tells the story of a little girl who earns enough money to buy a pretty faux pearl necklace. One night her daddy comes to tell her good night and asks her, “Do you love me?”

The daughter replies, “Oh, yes, you know I love you!”

“Then give me your pearls,” he says.

“Oh, not my pearls, Daddy! You know I love my pearls.”

Kissing her good night, he says, “I understand.”

Several nights pass, then one evening the dad sees tears filling up his little girls eyes. He asks, “What’s wrong?”

Holding out her hand, she opens it and offers her strand of pearls to her ad, explaining, “I love my pearls, Daddy, but I love you more.”

The dad accepts the pearls and then reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a beautiful genuine pearl necklace and places it in his daughter’s hand.

Your heavenly Father wants you to open your hand and let go of the temporal things of your world so he can relate them with genuine eternal things of his kingdom.

“I focus on God and his priorities for my life.”

[Excerpt from Believe: 31-day Devotional by Randy & Roxanne Frazee]