October 4, 2023 ADDED TO
Luke 12:28-32 “But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. For all of these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows you need these things. But seek for His kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
If there has ever been two opposites, it is the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. It may sound ludicrous, even to believers, to say we should not ‘seek what we shall eat, and what we shall drink.’ If not mistaken, it takes food and water to live! 1 Timothy 6:8 tells us to be content with food and clothing. When we read these and other similar verses, we likely have some deep questions and may feel really stretched in our faith. We may at times try to blend the ways of the world with the ways of the kingdom of God-and that is where we err. I can’t answer all the questions we may have about these verses. Does being content with food and clothing mean we are to be content without a house to live in? We could come up with a lot of questions I’m sure. In Luke 12 we see that God takes care of the birds of the air and he arrays the grass in the field-God cares about His creation-and that includes you and me. There is a core truth we must not miss; if we do one thing, all of this falls into place and we will discover that what God says is exactly right. The single most important thing we can do in this life is to seek His kingdom first. We hear that a lot; but what does it look like to seek His kingdom first? It starts in our heart; do we have a hunger and thirst to know God; is God our priority in life; do we have a desire to please Him in all we do; and do we have a desire to obey His commands and to walk in His ways. The miracle is that when He is our desire in life, when we seek His kingdom first, He adds to our life ALL we need. Sure, we have to work in order to buy food, etc., but we realize that it is God who is providing for us, even through our work. It is amazing, but God tells us to stop worrying and stop being afraid-and He means just that. What a blessing to hear God say that He gladly gives us the kingdom! His kingdom existed long before the world was created; His kingdom is real and it is eternal; His kingdom never fails; His kingdom has it’s own ‘ways and means;’ and His kingdom has come to earth enabling us to live in His kingdom in the here and now. Life in His kingdom is far different from living in the kingdom of the world. The world itself is not evil; the earth is the Lords. As those who belong to the kingdom of God, we must bring His kingdom to bear in our sphere and let His kingdom rule and have dominion. We are not to ignore the world-but we are to be walking, talking representatives of His kingdom. Remember; if we seek Him and His kingdom first, He will add to our lives all we need! Let us let go of fear and worry and let us not feel that it is up to us to get the things we need; rather, let us live life in the kingdom of God where He is our provider.
Psalm 54:4 “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Blessings, Buddy
Luke 12:28-32 “But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. For all of these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows you need these things. But seek for His kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
If there has ever been two opposites, it is the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. It may sound ludicrous, even to believers, to say we should not ‘seek what we shall eat, and what we shall drink.’ If not mistaken, it takes food and water to live! 1 Timothy 6:8 tells us to be content with food and clothing. When we read these and other similar verses, we likely have some deep questions and may feel really stretched in our faith. We may at times try to blend the ways of the world with the ways of the kingdom of God-and that is where we err. I can’t answer all the questions we may have about these verses. Does being content with food and clothing mean we are to be content without a house to live in? We could come up with a lot of questions I’m sure. In Luke 12 we see that God takes care of the birds of the air and he arrays the grass in the field-God cares about His creation-and that includes you and me. There is a core truth we must not miss; if we do one thing, all of this falls into place and we will discover that what God says is exactly right. The single most important thing we can do in this life is to seek His kingdom first. We hear that a lot; but what does it look like to seek His kingdom first? It starts in our heart; do we have a hunger and thirst to know God; is God our priority in life; do we have a desire to please Him in all we do; and do we have a desire to obey His commands and to walk in His ways. The miracle is that when He is our desire in life, when we seek His kingdom first, He adds to our life ALL we need. Sure, we have to work in order to buy food, etc., but we realize that it is God who is providing for us, even through our work. It is amazing, but God tells us to stop worrying and stop being afraid-and He means just that. What a blessing to hear God say that He gladly gives us the kingdom! His kingdom existed long before the world was created; His kingdom is real and it is eternal; His kingdom never fails; His kingdom has it’s own ‘ways and means;’ and His kingdom has come to earth enabling us to live in His kingdom in the here and now. Life in His kingdom is far different from living in the kingdom of the world. The world itself is not evil; the earth is the Lords. As those who belong to the kingdom of God, we must bring His kingdom to bear in our sphere and let His kingdom rule and have dominion. We are not to ignore the world-but we are to be walking, talking representatives of His kingdom. Remember; if we seek Him and His kingdom first, He will add to our lives all we need! Let us let go of fear and worry and let us not feel that it is up to us to get the things we need; rather, let us live life in the kingdom of God where He is our provider.
Psalm 54:4 “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Blessings, Buddy
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