Seek the Kingdom of God

 

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

—Matthew 6:33

 

 

In Matthew 6:33, what are the things Jesus is speaking about? They are the things listed in the previous verse, Matthew 6:31—food, drink, and clothing. Jesus said that if we will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, everything we need will be taken care of in our lives. When we make God our first priority, He takes care of our needs.

 

Yes, we have to give attention to earthly things, but they should never be our priority. God and His kingdom should always come first. When they are first, He supernaturally takes care of all the natural things we need.

 

When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).

 

Since the Pharisees asked this question, we can assume this was just an attempt to trick Jesus. But Jesus answered their question and attempted to turn them from looking for a physical kingdom and, instead, looking for the kingdom of God within their hearts.

 

The Greek word “entos” in Luke 17:20, which is translated as “within” in Vines Expository Dictionary, can actually signify either “within’ or “among.” If we look at this verse with both these meanings of “within” and “among,” we can see two things. It is a certainty that the kingdom of God was not “within” the Pharisees (John 3:3). Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God they asked about, was standing “among” them in the person of Himself. He was the King who ruled the Kingdom. And He personified all that the Kingdom was. Jesus was also speaking of the fact that His kingdom would be found “within” the hearts of people and not found in things that could be seen. The Kingdom of God in this verse specifically refers to Christ living and ruling in our hearts.

 

God “among” us became God “within” us when we believed Christ died for us. Christ, who personifies all that God’s Kingdom is, lives in our hearts. This is the Kingdom we seek to know. When we seek to understand the righteousness Christ has earned for us—when we seek to understand our legal right to receive the things Christ has earned for us, we have no need to worry about our needs—what we eat, drink, or wear (Matthew 6:31). 

 

God will supply all our needs according to what Christ has done for us (Philippians 4:19). Christ has given us “everything” we need. He has given us His spiritual blessings and precious promises (Ephesians 1:4, 2 Peter 1:4). We receive out of His finished work of grace. We receive everything that He died for us to receive. BUT we have to cooperate with God to receive what Christ has given us.

 

We must believe that Jesus purchased the legal right for us to receive what He died for us to have. And we must exercise our faith to receive what is ours. The Philippians understood the blessing of cooperating with God in giving away what they had received (Philippians 4:14-19). To cooperate with God, we must give out of what we have received as Christ has given to us. We must give out of our right standing with God. We must hold nothing in our hearts that interferes with His work of grace within us. We must give grace and forgiveness. We must give healing. We must give peace and joy and meet the needs of others as Christ has met our needs. When we seek the Kingdom of God and understand our position in Christ—when we faithfully and freely give as Christ has given to us, God releases His supernatural power to supply whatever our need is.

 

What is your need? God is no longer just “among” us. The Kingdom of God lives within you. Seek to know and spiritually understand the Kingdom of God, and all the things you need will be added to your life. You will draw out of His river of living water within you (John 7:38). You will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). You will stand strong in His righteousness (Isaiah 45:24). You will forgive and not hinder your healing or another’s healing (Colossians 3:13). You will freely give and receive as Christ has freely given and received for you (Matthew 10:8).

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

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