Seeking The Kingdom
Today's verse is from Matthew 6:33 ESV, which says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” It is an upside-down lesson for us to grab onto today, and doing this is harder than it seems.
I know that most of us reading today must have some desire for the Kingdom of God. If not, I hope that reading this devotional will spark something in you. Notice that Jesus does not say to simply seek the kingdom. He teaches us to first seek the kingdom. In this passage, Jesus is talking about how the Good Father takes care of our needs like what to eat and what to wear. In light of these things, we are told to seek first the kingdom.
The first thing to learn from this message is that even the simplest things like food and clothing can distract us from the kingdom. It’s not that Jesus wants us to go hungry or unclothed, but that he knows how easily these things can distract us from his heart.
The second thing to realize is that God reveals his goodness by providing for his people. Could it be that in trusting God with our daily needs we would begin to see his faithfulness in a whole new way? Indeed, those looking for a savior do not need to see another religion that claims to have it all together. They need to see a people living dependent and free on the everlasting Father.
Now the question turns to us. How have we been promoting our needs above the call to seek the kingdom? Remember, God already knows what you need and has promised to provide it at the right time. What might we be missing about the heavenly culture we are called to because we are obsessed with what we need to eat and wear?
It is easy to miss out on this truth because it is familiar to most of us. We might dismiss the invitation to listen to the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit because we agree with this verse. However, agreement does not guarantee integrity. I bet there is something God will point out for each of us today that will lead us into greater freedom.
Can you see the picture that Jesus is presenting to us? He wants our attention to be fixed on the kingdom and all that it pertains to. In this place, we can see just how faithful God our provider is.
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