“Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you”  — Matthew 6:33

The more I read this verse, the more I love it. As I teach my kids to memorize it for themselves, the truth becomes more and more real to me.

It’s really tempting to allow your priorities to get out of order. In pro football there’s a lot that goes into preparing for a game and it’s easy to get caught up in it all. In you have an injury but chapel service is coming up, it’s easy to think, “I can’t to go to chapel, I have to go get treatment before the game.” But that wouldn’t be seeking God first; that would be putting yourself first. The game demands a lot from us. Life demands a lot from us, but we need God so much more than any of these other things.

Seeking God requires intentionality on our part. You can’t just routinely listen to a sermon or read a little bit of your Bible when Sunday roles around. Don’t think that because you go to chapel on Saturday, your game on Sunday will go well for you. That’s not how it works. To seek God means you meditate on His Word throughout the day, every day.

In the morning on my way to work, I don’t turn on the radio; instead I use the silence in the car to talk to God. On the way home, I listen to a sermon that can bring me wisdom and insight into God’s truth. Seeking God requires a posture of saying, “Lord, I want to know You more. I want to grow in relationship with You continually so that when trials and temptations come, I’m prepared because I know the Word.” I’m able to combat anything that may come my way because I have the strength and truth of God’s Word and presence filling my heart and mind.

You have to talk to God — in prayer, by reading His Word, and meditating on Him — if you want a meaningful relationship with Him. How can you have a healthy friendship or relationship with someone if you never talk to them? How much more so should we be intentionally seeking to know and love God more?

— Matt Forte, New York Jets running back