Jar of Marbles

Matthew 6:33 -- "But Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."

 When I was still in high school in the Philippines - a friend of mine from science class told me about a jar of marbles.  He said he was using it to represent space .... or maybe it was something about physics....I can't even remember, now. What I DO remember, was how it perfectly demonstrated this verse in Matthew.  Here's how it went:
 
          Take 1 large baby food jar [empty & cleaned of baby food]
          1 bag of regular sized glass marbles
          1 shooter [that's what they call the really big marbles]

Put all the small marbles and the shooter that will fit into the jar and allow the lid to fully close.  This might sound simple, but there IS in fact a trick to it.  In front of our church congregation one evening I did it like this:

I held up the empty jar.  "The jar, is a single day in my life.  I start the day with an empty jar.  Then......I get up and brush my teeth." I picked up a small marble and put it in the jar.  "Then maybe I get a shower."  In goes another jar. "Eat breakfast, get ready for school, go to class...." for each thing that filled my day, I placed one small marble in the jar. "Well, time to hit the sack so I can do all this again tomorrow....but OH!!!  I have to have my personal time with God, read His Word and Pray......" In goes the large marble. At this point, I attempt to put the lid on the jar and tighten it down.  Nothing doing.  With the large marble [God] going into the jar last, the lid just will not close.  So I say......

"Well, now let's see.  This DOES work, I did it before I got here...." I ran through the whole thing again, maybe getting my shower first before I brush my teeth and cramming God into the jar at lunch break while still at school.  Nope.  The jar still won't close.  After doing this a couple more times....I try it with the large marble FIRST.

Eureka!!  The lid closes tightly and perfectly.

Things just don't fall into place properly without God at the helm.  He HAS to be first in our lives.

The first chapter of Romans explains that God is evident everywhere.  All we have to do is look around us at His handwork.  In verse 19 it ACTUALLY says that God is obvious.  We have no excuses.  We can't claim we can't find Him. It goes on to say that while it is plain God has provided for us, there are those of us who deliberately choose NOT to do the things He would have of us.  Some people actually choose NOT to see God nor do they accept Jesus. By the time we get to verses 21 all the way until the end of the chapter, we learn that for those people....God gave them what they wanted.  He allowed them to live in a way that "they asked for".  A life without Him in it.  These people were thrust into the darkness.

Seeking FIRST God's kingdom is also one of these "no-brainers". The lid will not fit onto the jar as it was intended unless the shooter is put in first.  In verse 21 of Romans 1 - Paul says it like this: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened."

This applies right now today every bit as much as it did during Paul's life time.  I'm going to use Eve as an example.  She was given EVERYTHING. Food to eat, a dude that loved her, time to walk with God, childbirth without pain.  And what did she do?  Well, even though she knew God, she wasn't thankful for what she had.  Instead, she wanted the ONE thing God didn't give her.  And so....she got what she wanted.  Her foolish heart was darkened.  She allowed herself to take her focus away from God and put it onto other things.  She was not thankful. She was not content.

If every single day when we open our sleepy eyes we say to the Lord...."I choose THIS day to serve You!" [Joshua 24:15] the lid will fit perfectly onto the jar of our lives.  If we choose to seek FIRST God's kingdom, to honor Him as God and give thanks.....we will not have foolish darkened hearts.  But wonderful brightly lit joy with all our marbles in tact!