A Lesson From God

Text: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

You have read and heard this Scripture many times, but have you ever stopped to think about what the words “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (v. 33) really mean? Is there the possibility we have been doing this and have never given it a thought? On the other hand, have we overlooked or have we chosen not to follow Jesus words of seeking the kingdom?

What did Jesus mean when He instructed the people to “Seek first the kingdom of God?” He wants us to turn to Almighty God to request help. We are not to count on our own wisdom and knowledge because it is of the world. In other words, we think as the world thinks.

When we do that we are leaving God out of our life.

When we leave God out of our everyday activities, there is an excellent possibility we depend on our ability to do everything ourselves. Soon it will become evident things aren’t working to our favor and when things don’t work the way we think they should, we soon become discouraged and even depressed.

When we become dependent on God the Father, our mind is constantly focused in His direction. Our minds are filled with positive thought of what He would have us do in all circumstances. It is not bad to think what we want to do or what we would like to do as long as our final decision is based upon what we hear from the wee small voice within our heart.

If we follow in Jesus’ footsteps our life will exhibit the characteristics of His life. For example, Jesus was in constant contact with His Father. He talked to Him and prayed seeking His direction concerning every aspect of His life.

When Jesus was going through the temptation course and Satan said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3), Jesus responded with the words, “It is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus knew the Scripture, the words of the Father, but in addition, He obeyed those words. He knew the Father would not let Him down. It is good for us to know the Scripture so that when we are faced with temptation, we can do as Jesus did and call upon Almighty God.

When it was time for Jesus to pick His disciples, He did not do it without first praying to His Father. “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor” (Luke 6:12-16).

This prayer, this conversation with the Father was not a two minute prayer or conversation, but Jesus prayed and talked to His Father all night until morning came. This decision was so important that He did not choose to make it on His own, but chose to seek the help of His Father.

When Jesus finished preaching to and feeding the 5000 men plus women and children, He sent His disciples to the other side of the sea and “He departed to the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46).

Notice that Jesus went alone to pray. He wanted the undivided attention of His Father and He wanted to give His Father His undivided attention. Jesus prayed often and He prayed long. Nothing was more important to Him than communication with His Father.

The lesson to us here is that we need to have time set aside when we can pray to the Father in a place where we will not be interrupted or distracted. Our prayer time is not to puff up our selves, but to humble ourselves.

Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men…. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…who sees what is done in secret” (Matthew 6:5-6).

You might wonder what prayers are important or what you should pray about. Every prayer is important to God and every prayer is heard by God. When we pray we are usually looking for guidance or direction before making a decision. We may be praying for another person who is having health, finance, family, or employer or employee concerns. We are asking God to intervene and lead these people in the direction He would have them go.