"Seeking the Kingdom"
GOOD MORNING!
Faith sees what can’t be seen - God’s presence, God’s power, and God’s provision. He is your Helper. Trust in Him. Rest in Him. He is the never forsaking-God. Remembering you in prayer.
DEVOTIONAL:
Today’s devotional passage is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 begins with the conjunction "but." That lets us know it is not a stand-alone verse. It is the continuation of a conversation that started much earlier. The conjunction joins Matthew 6:33 to verses that start as early as Matthew 6:25 and ends with Matthew 6:34 which goes one verse beyond the short portion that is quoted. To seek something is to earnestly look for it with the expectation of finding it. It is unfortunate that we often do not seek God first. We seek everything else before we seek God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." The word "seek" in Matthew 6:33 is a present imperative verb that means one is to pursue something and keep on pursuing it without stopping.
There is a very important discussion that starts in Matthew 6:25-34 that deals with trusting God. Reasons are given not to worry about basic human needs for the body. Jesus teaches that we should not worry about what we will eat, what we will drink and what we will wear. Starting with verse 25, Jesus says, "Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"
In Verses 26-30, Matthew gives two examples of smaller things that don’t worry about their needs because God takes care of them. The birds of the air don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet God supplies for their daily needs. The lilies of the field do not toil or spin, but God takes care of them. In fact, their clothes are much better than the wealthy Solomon wears.
Then in Matthew 6:33, there is an alternative to worrying about our needs. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." In other words, we should depend on God for our provisions instead of worrying about how we will obtain them. Know that "all these things" refer to eating, drinking and wearing clothes. When we depend on God, we are assured to have our basic human needs met. The psalmist declared, "I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread" [Psalm 37:25].
Matthew 6:34 gives the conclusion to the entire conversation. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
The kingdom of God is the sovereignty of God and His rule over all creation. We should seek first that kingdom so we can be part of all that God has to offer when we depend on Him for everything instead of relying on others or ourselves.
Jesus tells us that we don’t have to worry because we have a sovereign Father in heaven who cares for us. Just look at the birds, He explains, and the lilies of the field. Birds have food to eat because God provides for them — “He gives to the beasts their food and to the ravens that cry” [Psalm 147:9]. The lilies are dressed more beautifully than even King Solomon because God clothes them. And we, God’s children, are much more valuable to Him than birds and lilies. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers — don’t you think He’ll attend to you and care for you?
A heart that is truly seeking God first, is a heart and life that wants the name of Christ to be lifted high and glorified no matter the circumstances they find themselves in. Seeking the kingdom of God means you want Christ’s rule to be manifest in your life as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit [Romans 14:17]. So, when the lost see those spiritual qualities in your life instead of worry, they know the kingdom of God is there. That is an attractive testimony that the Lord can use to bring the lost to Himself. Seeking God’s kingdom means desiring to extend His kingdom.
God will provide for those who seek and pursue what is eternal. God’s children will never be forsaken. God’s children will never be forgotten.
Much love and care,
Pastor Pat
Greece Assembly of God
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