Matt
6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." ESV
This
verse may be one of the most often quoted verses in the Bible. Much has already
been written on the subject and much has been said. One of the problems of a
verse being so familiar is that it often gets quoted out of context and we
don’t take time to reflect on what is really being taught.
The
verse begs a couple of questions. The question that is usually asked first is what things will be added? That is
almost ironic because it reveals the attitude of the heart that Jesus is speaking
about throughout the entire passage. He starts in verse 19 with this
statement, "Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ESV
He
follows that one with a declaration that is vital to our understanding of the
context. Matt 6:24 "No one can serve two masters, for
either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. ESV One reason Jesus taught on this issue is
because the Jewish leaders were so focused on wealth. They taught that if you
were not financially well off, that it was because of sin in your life. They
were leading the sheep astray with their theology. Jesus was correcting that
concept of God.
He
is laying the groundwork for teaching us why our first question should not be
what things are added to us, but instead, “what does it mean to seek His
kingdom?” In verses 25 -32 He outlines why we need not worry about the material
things of life and He explains a concept that we all need to understand. That
is, that God loves all His creation and provides for it all, but that He loves
mankind most of all. Jesus says that God the Father will take care of our needs
because we are of more value to Him than all else in creation. What a
spectacular statement!
Do
you believe that? It seems that many people have a hard time truly believing
that God will take care of their needs, so they spend the majority of their
time worrying and focused on how to meet them. Jesus says that we are not to worry about and not to set our hearts on material
things. Rather, we are to focus on seeking His kingdom and He will provide for
our needs. He says that if we do that, we can trust Him to add what we need to
our lives.
That
brings us to the question we should have asked first, “What does it means to
seek His kingdom first?” Let me tell you, what it does not mean. It does not
mean that we don’t have to work! Some people like to use this verse to justify
laziness. After all why stress out about working if God is going to take care
of us anyway? News flash! Read 2 Thess 3:10. “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will
not work, neither shall he eat.” (NKJV) There are many proverbs, which
teach us the value of hard work and saving, so obviously this is not what Jesus
meant. Working is an important tool that that God uses in providing for us. So,
if that is the case, what does it mean?
The
entire Sermon on the Mount, which is the context of these verses, is meant to
show us that what God wants from us is
our hearts. He wants our relationship with Him to be more important than
anything else in our lives. He wants us to put Him first and foremost in our
thoughts and actions. He needs to be more important to us than family, friends,
food and feelings. He wants every thought and action to be filtered by what
value it has in furthering His kingdom. The promise is that if we do that first, we don’t have to worry about the
rest!
What
a wonderful promise we have. I pray that you would take hold of that promise. I
pray that you would give up your worrying and fretting. I pray that if your
life has centered on the desire to be wealthy, that you would realize that
desire will keep you from serving God. I pray that you would seek first His
kingdom and let Him add to you that which you need. He will provide and you
will lay up for yourself treasures of eternal value in heaven!
God
bless you,
Coach
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