LEARNING DAILY

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

“To love God with all our heart we must first of all, will to do so. We should repent our lack of love and determine from this moment on to make God the object of our devotion. We should set our affections on things above and aim our hearts toward Christ and heavenly things. We should read the Scriptures devotionally every day and prayerfully obey them, always firmly willing to love God with all our hearts and our neighbor as ourself” (A.W. Tozer).

To “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” we must first want to do so and that will to do so must come from our heart. If one makes seeking God a matter of the mind only, their walk on the narrow way is so much more difficult. One’s decision to follow Jesus must come from their heart. The decision to repent and follow Christ must move the 18 inches from the mind to the heart or the seeds planted by the Sower will not reach the fertile soil where it produces much fruit.

The verse above does not mean that one who lives by it will have an endless supply of blessing. It means pursue God’s kingdom, trust His righteousness, and leave it to Him to provide for your daily needs. Only by putting God first in life can one pursue His righteousness. Every Believer must prioritize living by the principles He has been discussing in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. To seek God’s kingdom, to walk the narrow way, one must live in continual repentance, acknowledging one’s sin, and live a lifestyle that is completely devoted to Jesus. When one does, God provides whatever is needed to accomplish His will in your life.

Let me point out something that is easy to pass over. After Jesus Christ becomes our Savior, we begin to walk on a narrow way to His Kingdom. We do not become perfect and do not stop sinning. Walking into His kingdom requires each person become like Him and that is a lifelong process. When we sin, we respond by acknowledging that sin and thanking Him for His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. That’s where the heart comes in. When Jesus gets in our heart, the sin we commit becomes like an injury or a wound to us until we confess it to our Savior. If the sin committed is done away with by a mental act or trying to deal with it by some mental exercise, there is no true repentance. Walking on the narrow way requires an act of our will; “it requires that we choose to obey the gospel or turn away from it in unbelief and reject its authority” (Tozer).

Seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness is a matter of deciding to do so from your will. As a Believer, you have every reason to move forward in your walk with Jesus Christ. This might be a bold statement – every believer can make Jesus Christ the focus of your heart and keep Him there. It is only in Him that we find true contentment and peace. A believer can walk as closely with the Lord as he/she wants to. Invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and fill you. Continue to “seek God and His righteousness” every day through Bible reading/study/ meditating on it. Seek Him in prayer and walk the narrow way according to His Word. Be tough on yourself – be disciplined and make the time to be with Him.

When you seek you will find what you are seeking! This is about seeking God’s kingdom, not building or desiring your kingdom (the Kingdom of Self)! It is about seeking God’s righteousness not your own! God is desiring you, Believer, to seek Him is to find Him. To find Him is to walk with Him on the narrow way to eternity in His kingdom. To find Him is to bow before Him and to walk with Him in spirit and truth. It is a choice, a matter of your will and my will. Choose wisely!