2021 - Seek Ye First
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
As you may be eager to turn the page into 2021 and a new year, I want to direct your focus on the one aspect that will make all the difference... seeking first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.
In the second portion of this chapter in Matthew, Jesus covers a spectrum of concerns we all have - our thoughts for tomorrow, eating, drinking, clothes, longevity and money. And He shines His glorious light on the one step we can take that He then in turn promises to cover it all - seeking Him first.
As just mentioned, Jesus is covering a spectrum of our concerns, and here we will translate how it applies to our finances.
Let's begin with how we should go about earning our wages, in Ephesians 6:5-8 it shows an excellent attitude for us to carry into our workdays as a servant. It starts by being obedient to those above us, showing respect towards them with concern to please them as if we were serving Christ Himself. To operate this way will bring life and energy to your efforts, a positive testimony of the Lord in your workplace, make you a valuable employee and return to bless you.
Once you've received your wages, then place the Lord at the front of the line - by first setting aside your tithes and offerings to Him, before paying out any other thing. This is seeking first the kingdom of God, as it supports your local church which reaches the lost, strengthens the believers it serves and also supports missionaries and their callings to the unsaved and oppressed throughout the world.
Seeking Him first with giving does not conclude with tithes and offerings, it extends into being sensitive to hear the needs of others and responding to them. It may be in lending a hand to someone, meeting a need for them financially and praying with them. It also includes serving in your local church, as God has given you unique talents that were placed there by Him to advance His kingdom.
In our spending, I feel there is one scripture - Proverbs 21:20, which God uses to clearly illuminate the differences in two paths... "There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it." It simply instructs us to spend less than we make.
Earlier in Matthew 6, Jesus also made a single-verse statement which cut to the chase of where a person places their focus - "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." This is meant to be a noticeable barometer for us to see where we are at... is our treasure (and heart) being placed at the feet of our Lord and others in need, doing His will and furthering His kingdom, or is it going to what will eventually turn to dust?
Jesus summed up the chapter by declaring the power and reach of God Almighty to address our concerns and circumstances by stating if we first seek Him, that then "all these things taken together will be given you besides." Because He used the word "given" it states that God is taking the responsibility to supernaturally supply those needs of this promise, so you can trust Him.
Lastly, I want to encourage you towards one thing which does not involve finances. If we are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we need to be continuously learning about Him by reading and meditating on the Word of God. Seeking this first means making it a daily priority, planning the time to be set aside... but not in a sense of duty, instead viewing it as an opportunity to learn more and more about our loving Almighty God and His ways.
We have the thoughts of our loving God written on these precious pages, and as we read them, receive them, love them and obey them we will experience the very life that Christ came to give us abundantly!
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
