5 Seek First the Kingdom
We have seen this week, that Jesus presents us with some choices. Treasure in heaven or treasure on earth; living in the light or living in darkness; serving God or serving our own wealth; living with anxiety or trusting God. Now he sums up:
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given unto you as well.
Matthew 6: 31 – 33 [NIV]
To be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, is to have a right set of priorities. We live our lives in a fallen world, but the earth is not our home. We are strangers here: our citizenship is in heaven.
As we have seen this week, Jesus calls us to be distinctive; to live, not like those around us, but as those who have been redeemed. Here he spells it out. We should seek first to live under and to promote God's kingly rule.
In everything we do, our priority ought to be to seek to extend God's kingdom. That means using our money, our time and our talents not merely for our own ends, but to bring glory to God. Seeking his kingdom and his righteousness should be what we are about as followers of Jesus.
R T France comments,
What this verse [33] demands is, therefore, a commitment to find and to do the will of God, to ally oneself totally with his purpose. And this commitment must come first. It is not to be crowded out by material concerns.
Money and material things are important, but they should not be the focus of our lives. That place belongs to God alone, who assures us that he knows all our needs and will meet them.
Living Lord, may your kingdom come! Show me how I may play my part in its growth. Amen.
David Long
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment