“Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9,10
Dear Ones:
Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, there has been the need to seek the kingdom of God. Why? When sin entered into the world, the kingship of Christ, of God, was replaced by the “kingship of man,” and of Satan. Though Satan is not a king, he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and his control over the kingdoms of this world is declared in the word of God. John, in his first epistle, would even write: “…the whole world lieth in wickedness,” thus, under the control or domination of the evil one. There is but One Person who stands in opposition to such usurped authority, and it is Christ, who has overcome ALL the power of the enemy, and the world. Paul declared this in his letter to the Colossians: “…And having spoiled principalities, and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (2:15) So, the usurper of Christ’s authority has dominion over the world system, and those who do not believe in Christ. Christ, by His authority given to the believer, is the only means by which the sinner can escape the downward pull to destruction and death. Paul again reveals to us the dominance of Christ’s victory: “…who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” (Col. 1:13) How important then is the kingdom of God, God’s blessed reign and rule in the heart of the believer?
The Lord Jesus, in what is called the “Sermon on the Mount,” spoke of the importance of seeking first the kingdom of God, as opposed to the pursuits of this world. There are those pursuits which are legitimately good and wholesome, even necessary. There are those which are in direct opposition to all that is of God, and His kingdom. He addresses the “necessary” things, which need to be pursued. However, He makes clear what the primary pursuit must be, as opposed to that which is needful and necessary.
In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord speaks of being anxious about one’s life, and that which pertains to its existence: food, drink, and clothing. He does NOT say that we are not to tend to these matters, for they are essential to our existence. But He does say that we are not to be anxious about them, nor in the pursuit of them. The reason for this is based on a covenant relationship between the heavenly Father, and His children. Jesus speaks directly to our hearts by declaring, with regard to the feeding of “the fowls of the air, ” “…Your heavenly Father feedeth them.” (6:26) Jesus’ statement implies that the Father already knows the need, and how to meet it. Will He provide? Yes. If we are seeking Him first, He will provide that which is necessary. The evidence that we are not seeking Him, and His kingdom first, is that we become anxious about His provision. This same pursuit of the essentials also applies to the future, or the “morrow..” Do we work so that we have food to eat, and clothes to wear? Yes. Do we work to have a place to live, and resources that we may give to those in need? Yes. The believer is different from the unbeliever in the world, who seeks the same things. The motive is different, and the means by which that which is necessary is provided, is different. The unbeliever derives all from faithlessness, and independence from God. The believer lives by the principle of faith in the faithfulness of God to provide. He is therefore thankful to God for His faithful provision.
Jesus, to save us from being dominated by lesser things, declared: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33) This priority is practically addressed in prayer: “Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (6:10)
Dear Father, May the Lord Jesus be our KING this entire day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad