Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Whatever we do in life, whatever causes we become involved in, whatever activities we take up, there needs to be one purpose, one overriding reason for us doing anything. That purpose is to seek God’s Kingdom. That is the compass bearing we set for our lives. It is the North Star to guide our decisions and give us direction and purpose in life. Some aspect of seeking God’s Kingdom should be what drags us out of bed in the mornings.
Now, “Seeking God’s Kingdom” has a nice nebulous ring to it. It could mean seeking the higher good for all mankind. It could mean trying to be a good neighbor or volunteer community worker, or try to make the world a better place, or a whole host of other things.
Jesus is more practical than that. At the end of Matthew, Jesus gave us our marching orders. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
God’s Kingdom here on earth is people. Sure He owns all there is. He rules over the weather, the seas, the earthquakes, the forest fires, all forms of life. And He makes it all work together for His glory and our good. But Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty of the sins of people on himself. He didn’t die for animals or weather or climate change. He died for people. And His commission to us, His last words to us as He went back to rejoin His Father were to make disciples of all nations.
That is how we seek first His Kingdom here on earth. By leading people to Jesus, see them become Christians, help them to grow in their relationship with God. Paul described the process in 2 Timothy 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
It’s not a job for the “professionals”. It’s the job God has given to each one of us. We have one job to do. That’s to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth by building disciples, by teaching them the things God has taught us through people (as Paul taught Timothy), and by learning from His Word directly. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
In order to guide people into God’s Kingdom, we need to be worthwhile messengers ourselves. We need to keep seeking God’s Kingdom in our own lives. Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Our countries seem to be falling apart at the seams. Lawlessness and disorder are the order of the day. Our countries are actively following Satan and persecuting Christians. The only way to see that turned around is to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth, and in our countries. That starts with seeing people become Christians, and then disciples. Then they will take on God’s values and standards and way of living. We can become involved in lots of Christian organizations and activities; we can go on marches and become politically active. But unless we are carrying out God’s mandate to us to see individuals turn around, repent and become Christians, one at a time, we’ll just be wasting time and effort.
We have one job to do: Seek God’s Kingdom here on earth. That means we need to evaluate all we do in terms of “How will this help build God’s Kingdom here on earth?” It means starting with our own lives, and going on to disciple others.
P.S. We can’t wait until we are “perfect” ourselves. That will never happen. We need to start now, where we are. We need to stick as close as we can to God’s Word as we go along in life. Jesus’ commission was to make disciples as we are going.
Sunday morning devotion by Pastor Art
Whatever we do in life, whatever causes we become involved in, whatever activities we take up, there needs to be one purpose, one overriding reason for us doing anything. That purpose is to seek God’s Kingdom. That is the compass bearing we set for our lives. It is the North Star to guide our decisions and give us direction and purpose in life. Some aspect of seeking God’s Kingdom should be what drags us out of bed in the mornings.
Now, “Seeking God’s Kingdom” has a nice nebulous ring to it. It could mean seeking the higher good for all mankind. It could mean trying to be a good neighbor or volunteer community worker, or try to make the world a better place, or a whole host of other things.
Jesus is more practical than that. At the end of Matthew, Jesus gave us our marching orders. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
God’s Kingdom here on earth is people. Sure He owns all there is. He rules over the weather, the seas, the earthquakes, the forest fires, all forms of life. And He makes it all work together for His glory and our good. But Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty of the sins of people on himself. He didn’t die for animals or weather or climate change. He died for people. And His commission to us, His last words to us as He went back to rejoin His Father were to make disciples of all nations.
That is how we seek first His Kingdom here on earth. By leading people to Jesus, see them become Christians, help them to grow in their relationship with God. Paul described the process in 2 Timothy 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
It’s not a job for the “professionals”. It’s the job God has given to each one of us. We have one job to do. That’s to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth by building disciples, by teaching them the things God has taught us through people (as Paul taught Timothy), and by learning from His Word directly. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
In order to guide people into God’s Kingdom, we need to be worthwhile messengers ourselves. We need to keep seeking God’s Kingdom in our own lives. Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Our countries seem to be falling apart at the seams. Lawlessness and disorder are the order of the day. Our countries are actively following Satan and persecuting Christians. The only way to see that turned around is to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth, and in our countries. That starts with seeing people become Christians, and then disciples. Then they will take on God’s values and standards and way of living. We can become involved in lots of Christian organizations and activities; we can go on marches and become politically active. But unless we are carrying out God’s mandate to us to see individuals turn around, repent and become Christians, one at a time, we’ll just be wasting time and effort.
We have one job to do: Seek God’s Kingdom here on earth. That means we need to evaluate all we do in terms of “How will this help build God’s Kingdom here on earth?” It means starting with our own lives, and going on to disciple others.
P.S. We can’t wait until we are “perfect” ourselves. That will never happen. We need to start now, where we are. We need to stick as close as we can to God’s Word as we go along in life. Jesus’ commission was to make disciples as we are going.
Sunday morning devotion by Pastor Art
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