What should be most important to us? “I say to you, DO NOT WORRY 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? …But SEEK FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and ALL THESE THINGS (what we eat, drink and our clothing) SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU.” (Matthew 6:25, 33) What about tomorrow’s needs? “…don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34)
The verse’s meaning is as direct as it sounds. We are to seek the things of God AS A PRIORITY over the things of the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the SALVATION that JESUS GREATLY SUFFERED AND DIED TO PROVIDE FOR US because it is of MUCH GREATER VALUE than all the world’s riches. Does this mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a DIFFERENCE IN OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THEM. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take ADD TO US WHAT WE NEED AS PROMISED—and if that’s the arrangement, where is worrying? “These things DOMINATE THE THOUGHTS OF UNBELIEVERS, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” (Matthew 6:32)
The “negative” aspects of SEEKING FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD run counter to a heresy that is gaining ground around the world, the so-called “prosperity“ gospel. A growing number of false teachers are gathering followers under the message “God wants you to be rich!” But that philosophy is not written in the Bible—and it is certainly not the counsel of (Matthew 6:33), which is not a formula for gaining wealth. It is a description of how God works. Jesus taught that our focus should be AWAY FROM THIS WORLD—its status and its lying attractions—and placed upon the things of GOD’S KINGDOM.
Jesus is praying to the Father, “My prayer is not for the world, but for those YOU HAVE GIVEN ME (the saved ones) because THEY BELONG TO YOU…I have given them your word. And the world hates them because THEY DO NOT BELONG TO THE WORLD, just as I DO NOT belong to the world.” (John 17:9, 14)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham