To Encourage You

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

How careful we should be to pay close attention to the individual words of the Bible.  They aren’t there for filler.  God, in His infinite wisdom, has said the things He has said to us in the perfect way.  Nothing should be glossed over. Nothing should be passed by hurriedly.  So, what’s an example of this? 

Note that the above verse begins with the little word “but.”  So often when we hear this word from someone, it can mean “So, forget everything I just said, because this is what I really want to tell you.” So often the preceding words are said to us to soften the blow of what’s to come, or to “butter us up” and hopefully prepare us for the negative.  Well, what about God?  Why did He use this word to speak to us in Matthew 6:33?  We can be sure it is not to say, “forget everything else I’ve just told you.” No, we can be sure He wants us to pay very close attention to what He’s just told us, but then to pay particular attention to the alternative that’s to come next. 

For example, in the verse above, we should begin by asking ourselves, “But what?  What are the preceding verses talking about?”  When we look, we see that they’re talking about the source of so much anxiety in peoples’ lives.  They’re talking about physical needs – things like what we eat, what we drink, and what we wear. And they’re talking about what we need (at least what we think we need) in order to have enough of these things: money.  Then they tell us that we can get so focused on these things that we become very anxious about them. More than that, these physical things, especially money, can become gods to us.  Jesus tells us that “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” (Matthew 6:24).  But then He immediately tells us that such a focus can lead to a life filled with anxiety.  Isn’t it interesting, then, that in the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth, one of the most common emotional conditions that people deal with is anxiety?  People worry and fret about everything, resorting, in many cases, to medication to help cope with it all. 

So, what’s the answer?  What’s God’s answer?  It’s in the short statement that follows the word “but” in the verse above.  It’s an alternative way of thinking and living. It’s the way that God thinks is best (and therefore absolutely is best), as opposed to what man thinks is best. And what is it?  It is to “seek first the kingdom of God.” 

So how do we do this?  Perhaps one way to think about this is to think about that word “first” and to be brutally honest with ourselves about what has first place in our lives.  For example, what’s the first thing we think about each morning?  Is it anything related to the kingdom of God?  Do we think about God Himself? Do we think about how wonderful it is to be in a relationship with Him? Do we think about what He’s told us in His Word?  Or do we think about something else (and believe me, there’s a lot of “something else” out there to think about)?  

Then, what do we do first each day?  After we get our wits about us as we crawl out of bed, do we do something related to the kingdom of God, or do we do something else?  Do we pray? Do we read God’s Word?  Do we take time to focus our thoughts on the kingdom of God – or do we read the newspaper, or turn on the television, radio, or cell phone, and begin to fill our minds with all things related to the kingdom of man?  Are our first things God things, or something else? 

Another thing: what has first place in our finances? What do we spend our money on?  Do things related to the kingdom of God take priority in this area of our lives? What checks have we written in the last month? Have we helped anyone because we were seeking to show them the love of Christ? Or is the focus of how we’ve used our finances all about ourselves? Seriously now, what has first place in this area of life? 

You see, it is only when we put the kingdom of God first, and not other things, that the reality of the peace of God and trust in His loving provision for us can be realized. In essence, He has told us “Seek Me first, and all those other things, the things you are seeking other than me, will be taken care of by Me.”  But that’s where faith comes in. That’s what reveals what we’re really trusting in.  For if we really believe God, if we are eager to demonstrate how much we love and trust Him, we will put Him and His kingdom first in our lives, not something else.  That’s the truth of His Word, which is always the real truth about anything.