Article written by Sister Myrtice Robinson, Grandmothers of Hope Society, Inc
Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 6:33
What things? Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) states:
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Now let us be true to ourselves; have we learned how to seek God first for the desires of the heart and for our physical, mental, and spiritual needs? Second question, do we understand the true meaning of Jesus’ command, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Now the race begins for man’s desires of the heart. Some are saying and thinking, “I go to church every Sunday and Wednesdays too and to me this is seeking the Kingdom of God first.” Also, people are saying and thinking, “I give my “first fruit” ten percent of my earnings to help with the church building’s expenses.” Others may say, “I pray every morning before I start my day and every night before bedtime,” and they believe this is seeking God’s Kingdom first.
So, now the question is what does “seek ye first the kingdom of God” means? One meaning defines it as, “seeking in order to find, to aim at or strive after. It also means to look for, go after, desperately desire, to search for.” God is immoveable. He is all present, all knowing, all powerful and He is always available and ready for us to seek (find) Him with mind, body, and soul in all situations in life. We must seek the Kingdom of God with a humble spirit first over the things of the world. I like the way Dr. Robert Jeffress acknowledges God’s authority, “Without instruction from God, people are doomed to a miserable life.”
“The kingdom of God” is where The Holy Trinity dwells, therefore, it is a place of righteousness. It is a spiritual ruling over the hearts and lives of people who free-will choose to submit to God’s authority. Those who disobey God’s authority and refuse to surrender to Him are not part of the Kingdom of God. If you acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and with a cheerful heart surrender to God, you are a part of God’s Kingdom. A kingdom that is spiritual and ruled by a RIGHTEOUS GOD. Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus also preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of God’s kingdom.” No ways of evil will be accepted in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 NIV) In addition, “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying. ‘You must be born again’ stated in John 3: 5-7. Jesus continues to speak in Matthew 18: 3, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of God.” Remember, the kingdom of God involves repentance with a pure heart and the Holy new birth which believes in Jesus Christ. The doorway to the Kingdom of God is Jesus. When one sees him or herself as a sinner and knows that she/he falls short of the glory of God, also knows that their sins need to be forgiven and they surrender to God in obedience; this is seeking the Kingdom of God. A person is seeking God’s kingdom by repenting of sins and desiring wholeheartedly to turn away from them completely. 1 John 1: 9 states, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Trusting God with all your heart and leaning not to your own understanding is seeking the Kingdom of God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” stated in John 3: 16. Believe is an action verb meaning to accept something as true, to feel sure without doubts of the truth.
Today’s concept of “believe” can lead to confusion due to false teachers and people pleasers. So, what exactly does the word “Believe” means according to God’s Word. The Biblical meaning of “Believe” is having a confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to His will (to act upon His will); to place one’s trust in God’s truth. To some, “believe” is nothing more than a verbal statement of hope and speculation. For an example, saying, “I believe I can pick you up for work today.” According to the New Testament Greek word pisteuo (believe) means to “be convinced of something” or “give credence to.” We must be convinced (believe)that it is an historical fact, everlasting truth that more than 2,000 years ago Jesus was sent to earth as the Son of God to be our Savior, He performed the “Fruit of Spirit” in the presence of man, plotted no revenge on man, forgave them for their sins against Him, endured the torturing whip on His back for man’s sins so we could be healed and forgiven, died on an old rugged cross to keep our Heavenly Father’s unconditional love for us, and was resurrected from the grave on the third day to protect our freedom, visited with the disciples and continued to explain God’s plan of eternal living and continued to teach His disciples how to move forth doing His work on earth (The Great Commission) until He comes again to take us back with Him to Heaven, He ascended into Heaven and at this very moment sits on the Right Hand of the Father interceding for our present sins. Believing that Jesus did ALL of this for us will change our hearts from sin and evil and give us a heart like Jesus and knowing without any doubts that we are loved enough that He will supply all of our needs and desires according to His riches in Glory! Believing this is seeking the Kingdom of God and all of His righteousness.
Someone is asking the question, what is His righteousness and what do we need to do? Righteousness is the condition of being in the right relationship with the Lord. This can only happen through total faith and dependence upon Christ. Christ is righteous in saving sinners and He is merciful and compassionate. God is righteous in all His dealings with humanity. The righteous of God is primary. The righteousness of God is the guiding principle for the people of God. Matthew 5:20 states, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous and were not righteous enough to get into Heaven. Jesus taught that true righteousness is not that which people relate to as righteous based on the law of the land, admiration of man, worldly works, and external appearances but true righteous is judged by God based upon HIS ASSESSMENT of the heart. Those blessed were not like scribes and Pharisees. The righteousness of God is absolute (pure in heart, supreme. Those blessed with God’s righteousness are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker, those who are persecuted on account of their relationship with Jesus according to Matthew 5: 3-12. In addition, in Luke 16:15, “He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” Therefore, according to 1 John 2:1 it is written, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” And, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.” Seeking the kingdom of God is to “Set your minds on things above, not on earthy things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” stated in Colossian 3:2-4.
Now when you desire to seek the kingdom of God and all His righteousness then “…. all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
The story of King Solomon is a fitting example:
King Solomon became the wisest and richest man to ever live, and 2 Chronicles 1: 7-12 (NIV) records how it happened.
“That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions, and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”
“As we share the gospel, we must explain that God requires the individual to trust in Christ alone plus requires nothing for salvation. Only when we trust in Christ alone to save us is God satisfied. To believe in the biblical sense of the Word is to trust Christ alone as the only way to obtain eternal life with God.” Quoted by Larry Moyer
Therefore, I say to you people of God, seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and enjoy the desires of your heart! Because in the presence of God there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16: 11 NKJV). He promised according to Psalm 37, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Stay blessed!
Love you,
Sister Myrtice Robinson
References:
- The Holy Bible: New International Version, King James Version, New King James Version
- “What Does the Bible Mean by “Believe”? by Larry Moyer
- Dr. Robert Jeffress (Pathway To Victory)