My God shall supply all my needs

It's funny how God tends to repeat Himself again and again, isn't it?

A good friend of mine was giving a sermon this past Sunday and was talking about (among other things) God's provision. How He answers our needs, but He does so because he wants us to concentrate on His mission. Erik referenced Matthew 8:24-33, here are the Cliff's Notes:
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other...
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."

God knows that we cannot seek God's kingdom and our own kingdom at the same time! Our interests will be divided ("A man who chases 2 rabbits, catches neither."). So, why do we keep trying? We say, "I will seek God first and my own interests second." But that is a paradox because seeking God and His interests means we can't seek our own interests! We can't say, "I have faith that God will provide" and then continue to try to find our own way! We have to put our faith completely in His provision and live for His kingdom. Then and only then will He give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). I loved the example Erik gave about not building up his resume and just seeking to go God's work while he was in college and trust God to give him what he wanted. And God blessed Erik with exactly what he wanted and so much more. Erik also talked about a passage in Matthew 14 where Jesus is walking on water and He calls Peter out with Him on the water. Peter walks on water towards Jesus, then he sees the waves and starts to sink. Jesus scolds him saying, "You of little faith." I mean, on the one hand, why did Peter doubt when Jesus was there with him and was already keeping him safe? But on the other, Peter had enough faith to step out of the boat, while all the other disciples were still just staring in disbelief (oh, that my faith were that little!).
So, that was the jumping off point, here's where it starts getting repeated. Later that day, I was watching a TV show and in the show they were going to a Bible study (which is unusual, because this is not a Christian show by any stretch). At that Bible study, they were talking about that same passage about Peter walking on water. What are the odds?!
And then, that night in my quiet time, I was reading in Acts about the early church. They shared everything in common, relying on God to provide their physical needs, so they could devote themselves full time to the preaching of the Word. They did not toil or have savings accounts or fire insurance, they trusted in God to provide for their every need and to take care of them. Their sole focus and purpose was God's mission.
Finally, today at the lake, I was reading more in Acts and came across the account of assigning roles in the early church. They needed someone to take care of the daily distribution of food to the widows to free up their time for full time ministry. They trusted God to provide those people and focused on God's mission. And the other interesting point in this passage was that even just to serve in a seemingly small role, passing out food, they sought God for men who were full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. They knew how important even the "smaller" roles were and what character was required for the mission to succeed. Powerful stuff.
Marinate.