05/21/2017
What does it mean to "seek first the kingdom of God?" Some believe this is to seek God totally and that all else will miraculously be provided, others feel it means to seek Him first and foremost, but then continue to live life by His commandments, and then some think it is to live as they always have and roll God into the cracks of our existing life. Which are you? Which do you seek?
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:33-34 ESV
For the majority of people God is rather inconvenient; they Want to believe His Son is their savior because they hear His voice within them, but He is a disruptive force when it comes to the lifestyle they are leading. Giving up those things they have built their lives around is an almost insurmountable challenge... so they attempt to squeeze Him into the cracks of a broken life. They try to justify their approach as one of putting Him first because after all, He is the glue that is somehow holding their shattered lives together. This is often the first step towards Jesus, but it isn't the life He wants for us. It is a life in which we are in charge and God is a tool to be used when convenient.
The next step along the way is to build a life and then place our faith safely upon it. We think that God is first because He is important and ingrained in our lives, but in truth He is just a veneer on top of that same old worldly self. People see a vision of God when they look at us, but when they get to know us better it doesn't take long to realize that the least little scratch reveals what lies beneath. This is the the man who goes to church every Sunday, puts the "Jesus" bumper sticker on his car, and then cusses out every driver who cuts in front of him on the highway. We are living a dream and not the deep life of faith we seek.
Then as we truly begin to understand the teachings of Jesus, something amazing happens... the old house, that was once ourselves, is razed to the ground. The debris is removed and hauled off to the landfill where it is disposed of in a great pit, and a new life of faith is constructed with Jesus as the cornerstone and our faith in God as its foundation. When this happens then we have found the meaning of seeking God first. Everything in our lives is based on God's will for us. We are facing the direction that Jesus is facing, and our faith permeates everything about us. When trouble comes we go to our prayer closet. When the storms arise we shutter our windows with faith, when the ground shakes we are secure on our firm foundation, and when the floods threaten we are on high ground. Everything in life and the surrounding world is seen through the eyes of God, and He gives us all those things we need. God is no longer a tool, He is no longer a dream, He is our rock, our foundation, our Lord in all things.
“"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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?”
Matthew 6:25 ESV
Prayer:
Father I thank you for calling to me as I have sought you. I thank you for your grace, and forgiveness through your Son Jesus Christ. I thank you for destroying and removing the sins of my old life and establishing my new one with Jesus as my cornerstone. Holy Father, I no longer see you through the world, but rather I see the world through you. In this way I can easily identify sin and the pitfalls that it presents. In this way, I see the grace, mercy, and goodness you provide for me. In this way I see all those things you lovingly give to sustain me. Lord, you are first in my life; you are more than filler, or a hope, you are the essence of all I am. In you I find peace and joy. In you I find everything I seek and more. Praised be your name Father... now and for ever more. Holy, Holy, Holy art thou.
Rich Forbes