Introduction

Welcome, beloved in Christ, to this gathering of hearts and minds, united by our shared faith and our shared purpose. We are here to learn, to grow, to be nourished by the Word of God. We are here to seek His counsel, to bask in His love, to be transformed by His grace. This is our purpose, our calling, our joy.

In the timeless words of the great Christian author, Charles Spurgeon, "To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do we love that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?" A profound question, indeed. Do we love the yoke of Christ, or do we seek to cast it aside? Does His yoke feel like a burden or a blessing? Are we living in His will, or are we resisting it?

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the wisdom found in the book of Matthew. In chapter 6, verse 33, we find these words:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

What a promise! What an invitation! What an opportunity to set our priorities straight, to align our lives with the will of God, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Imagine, if you will, a life where God's presence is the priority. A life where His promises are our hope and His provision is our trust. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you yearn for it? This is the life God invites us to live. This is the life we are called to embrace. This is the life that is truly life.

Prioritizing God's Presence

When we consider the words of Matthew 6:33, we are invited to consider what it means to place God at the center of our lives. This is not a casual suggestion. It's not a light-hearted recommendation. It's a call to action. A call to reorder our priorities. A call to make God's presence the most important thing in our lives.

What does it mean to prioritize God's presence?: It means to make God the most important thing in our lives. It means to seek Him first in all things. It means to make our relationship with Him the foundation of our lives. It means to live in a way that reflects His love, His grace, His mercy. When we prioritize God's presence, we are saying that our relationship with Him is more important than anything else. More important than our jobs. More important than our hobbies. More important than our relationships. More important than our own desires.

This is not an easy thing to do: It requires sacrifice. It requires commitment. It requires a willingness to let go of our own plans and desires and to embrace God's plans and desires for us. But when we do this, when we make God's presence our priority, we find that all other things fall into place.

The idea of seeking God: When we seek God, we are actively pursuing a relationship with Him. We are making an effort to know Him, to understand Him, to love Him. We are not just passively waiting for Him to reveal Himself to us. We are actively seeking Him out. This seeking involves prayer, reading the Bible, worship, and fellowship with other believers. It involves spending time in God's presence, listening to His voice, seeking His guidance. It involves a commitment to growing in our knowledge and understanding of God.

The idea of making God our foundation: When we make God our foundation, we are building our lives on Him. We are making Him the basis for everything we do. We are making Him the standard by which we measure everything else. This means that our decisions, our actions, our attitudes, our values, our priorities, are all determined by our relationship with God. We are not swayed by the changing winds of culture or society. We are not influenced by the opinions or expectations of others. We are grounded in God, and our lives reflect that.

The idea of reflecting God's love: When we prioritize God's presence, we are called to reflect His love in our lives. We are called to be His hands and feet in the world. We are called to show His love to others through our words and actions. This means that we are called to love others as God loves us. We are called to forgive as God forgives us. We are called to serve as God serves us. We are called to be a light in the world, pointing others to God.

The idea of trusting in God's provision: When we prioritize God's presence, we are called to trust in His provision. We are called to believe that He will provide for our needs. We are called to rely on Him, not on our own strength or resources. This means that we are called to live in a state of dependence on God. We are called to trust that He will provide for our needs, even when we can't see how. We are called to believe that He is good, that He loves us, and that He has our best interests at heart.

Promises for Those Who Put God First

As we immerse ourselves in the divine wisdom of Matthew 6:33, we are invited to consider the promises that await those who put God first ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO