Matthew 6:33 / But Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you......
In the verse above there is some divine addition going on. It really is a cause and effect kind of thought that we read about. If I do this......then God will do this. Of course, with anything concerning God it is all contingent on the state of the heart and the motive behind the action.
So the first thing is to seek God's Kingdom. I did not know what the Kingdom was for a number of years. To me it was the church. Which meant I was to follow the norm when it came to being a member of an assembly. Attend every week (Or at least as much as I could)....read my Bible (never mind if I actually gleaned anything from it.....and give my money as a tithe (Don't give to much, or be a miserly penny pincher). There I had sought the Kingdom of God and found it in a building with a bunch of other like minded people.
It was until I heard John Wimber teach on the Kingdom that my world was rocked. What did Wimber teach me? That the Kingdom of God was the dynamic rule and reign of God here in our time and space. Where ever people were obeying God...chasing Him...and carrying out His commands, there He would be also. The Kingdom.
Seeking the Kingdom was not a part time affair. It wasn't something you did as an after thought. It was to be the number one thing and focus of our daily lives. I know that during my years at Rapha (treatment center) the guys thought that I was trying to implement a bit of religion into the recovery process. Truth be known, recovery and the Kingdom go hand in hand. If I pursue the rule and reign of God in my life first....and along with it, His righteousness (or His character and nature) I would have the life that addiction had robbed me of. As a friend of mine use to say on more than one occasion.."You can't work those 12 steps and not bump your head on the cross."
So when pursuing the Kingdom becomes the focus of my daily life, what happens? Well in the verse, God said that "These things will be added unto you." What things? If you back up a few verses from the Matthew 33 portion, you'll see that He was talking about our needs. Food, shelter, clothing etc....
You may think me crazy, but I do believe that this is still the way God operates. Notice is did not say our wants and desires, but our needs. Once again, I am just crazy enough to believe what God says. If God is who He claims to be, and will do what He has promised He would do, would it not make sense to go after Him? To shake off the darkness of a life that has become unmanageable and seek His order and stability. To recognize Him as being not just a Higher Power, but the Highest Power above all who claim to have power? I think maybe yes is the answer.
Think on this today and choose for yourself who or what you are going to chase after.
God on you...
mbb
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