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

Have you noticed that today in the American culture, it is more important to live en vogue on the outside, despite being vague on the inside? More and more people are living on a Jones New York budget when they should be shopping at Target.

In other words, it may be more popular to seek the gifts, rather then the giver of the gifts. I am convinced that regardless of how much a person succeeds in life (secularly), that person will never have total balance in his or her life.  A person can have the biggest house on the hill but still be unhappy, because he or she may have chosen to seek riches and earthly success, rather than the Heavenly Father.

If this is you, then I encourage you to re-prioritize your life. Begin to seek God rather than those things that are temporal.

Start praying, read the Bible and get plugged into a local church. You will see a dramatic change in your life, as well as those around you. As you seek God, joy, purpose and a balanced life await you.

• The Rev. Gilbert Ybarra is minister of The River of Life Christian Fellowship. Sermon Notes is a column by ministers of the Patterson Ministerial Association. Any religious leader who would like to write for the column may contact the Patterson Irrigator.