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How can I seek first the kingdom of God?
Seeking God's kingdom does not mean the
rest of life will be "fixed," but it does mean that we can have the
surety necessary to keep in perspective the power of God over our lives,
reducing our need to worry.
compellingtruth.org
In
the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains the value of having "treasures
in heaven," i.e. doing and concerning oneself with spiritual and
eternal things, and then moves on to admonitions not to worry about earthly
things.
In tying these two topics together, Jesus makes the
oft-repeated statement: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
What
is the kingdom of God in the first place?
It
is an entity with both spiritual and physical manifestations, depending on the
period of history, which indicates God's special rule through Jesus Christ.
This
kingdom was first established during Jesus' earthly life and continues still at
a spiritual level made up of those who believe in Him for their salvation.
After
the tribulation, Jesus will reign for 1,000 years, a period called the Millennium,
which fulfills promises made to Israel and Jesus for an earthly reign of
Messiah – the physical kingdom of God.
When
the context is taken into consideration, Matthew 6:33 appears to act as an
intersection of the two previous topics, suggesting that if you concern
yourself with spiritual things (seek the kingdom of God), the earthly
concerns will "be added unto you" (essentially, provided for).
To
seek the kingdom of God is to intentionally focus on and fully experience
relationship with God, usually through avenues He has provided such as prayer
and meditating on His word.
Seeking
the kingdom of God does not stop there, however; it also includes sharing the
fruit of relationship with God with others through things like evangelism,
practical giving, and expressing love to others through whatever means God has
specially gifted you or directed you.
Finally,
does this passage indicate that if we seek the kingdom of God all the things we
worry about will be fixed? No, it does not.
The
concept that seeking God's kingdom is a means by which to promote earthly
comfort is an erroneous preaching present in certain evangelical circles, and
is referred to as the prosperity gospel.
Again, the context of Matthew 6:33 is important, for
the next sentence Jesus speaks is, "Therefore do not be anxious about
tomorrow" (Matthew 6:34).
Seeking
God's kingdom does not mean the rest of life will be "fixed," but it
does mean that we can have the surety necessary to keep in perspective the
power of God over our lives, reducing our need to worry.
CompellingTruth.org is an outreach of www.GotQuestions.org.
The purpose statement of CompellingTruth.org is: "Presenting the truth of the Christian faith in a compelling, relevant, and practical way."
Our mission is to take the questions, issues, struggles, and disagreements that exist within the Christian faith and shine the truth of God's Word on them. We believe the truth of God's Word is compelling. If we would all truly and fully submit ourselves to the truth of God's Word, most of our questions, issues, struggles, and disagreements would disappear. God's Word does not directly address every situation we face in life, but it does contain truth that can apply to anything and everything we deal with.
Whether it is theology, apologetics, or the practical Christian life - we want to present the compelling truth of God's Word. Whether it is about God, Jesus, salvation, the Bible, sin, or eternity - we want to present the compelling truth of God's Word.
The purpose statement of CompellingTruth.org is: "Presenting the truth of the Christian faith in a compelling, relevant, and practical way."
Our mission is to take the questions, issues, struggles, and disagreements that exist within the Christian faith and shine the truth of God's Word on them. We believe the truth of God's Word is compelling. If we would all truly and fully submit ourselves to the truth of God's Word, most of our questions, issues, struggles, and disagreements would disappear. God's Word does not directly address every situation we face in life, but it does contain truth that can apply to anything and everything we deal with.
Whether it is theology, apologetics, or the practical Christian life - we want to present the compelling truth of God's Word. Whether it is about God, Jesus, salvation, the Bible, sin, or eternity - we want to present the compelling truth of God's Word.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/seek-first-kingdom-God.html
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