(Paul Merrill writes here the first Friday of every month. This week, he celebrated a half-century of living and learning.)

A very familiar parable Jesus told is about the farmer who planted seeds. The seeds represented the message of God’s Kingdom. Matthew 13:22 reads: “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”

The most common way to understand this sentence is that many people do not become followers of Christ because they think of the worries and cares of life. I would go further and say that those of us who do follow Christ prevent ourselves from experiencing life as God intended it by allowing worries and the lure of wealth to choke out our joy.

Jesus said that too, in Matthew 6. He gave us the prescription for how to deal with it in verse 33: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Often our worries relate to fears about not having what we will need, particularly in today’s troubled economy. Jesus clearly says that if we seek God’s kingdom and live righteously, that won’t be a problem. Look at the word “need” – we often substitute that with “want”, and that is not the case. God knows that our needs and wants are not always in the same sphere.

So how do we do that seeking of the Kingdom and living righteously? There is no short answer. A lifetime of following Jesus reveals new aspects each day. But a few quick ideas are: talk to God a lot; be generous with those around you who are in need; and read the Bible – there are a lot of answers in there.

May we start this new month following Jesus more closely!