Seek First

‎Sunday, ‎August ‎14, ‎2022

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Memory verse: Romans 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Today's reading: PSALM 89-90 ROMANS 14

Seek Ye First

Matthew 6:33 King James Version (KJV)

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

But how do we seek the kingdom of God? This is a question for the ages. What is seeking God? These are hard questions to answer because the answer is different for each of us.

Romans 14 says this: 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Joy and peace, both, are of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23. So seeking God's kingdom must mean to work and study and pray and live in the Spirit as much as is possible. This can also be seen in the model prayer: "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil". How can He deliver us from evil if we are not walking in the Spirit?

Then, there is righteousness-His righteousness. Matthew 6:33 says to seek the kingdom and HIS righteousness. This must mean to seek God's 'right'- or, what God says is right.

Romans 3:22-26

22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. 26...God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

God showed us His righteousness. He showed us how horrible sin is to Him by demanding blood for our sin-the blood of Jesus.

So, does the sin of the world still bother you or have you allowed yourself to become numb to it? Do you choose to ignore it?

This can become confusing to the point of chaos and that is what the enemy wants.

But that is why God wants us to keep our eyes on His 'fairness and just-ness"-on His character and not be pulled into judgement. God wants us to look at His righteousness so that we can look past the sin to the soul. That does not lessen the severity of sin; it increases our love for the lost.

If we 'seek first' God and His righteousness, the rest of it the Holy Spirit will handle. We must fervently seek Him and patiently wait and know that one day, we will know even as we are known.(1 Corinthians 13)

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

I want to seek You with all that I am. Teach me to wait and forgive my quick judgements and impatience.

Fair and just and gracious God!

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen

Max Lucado writes this:

God didn't overlook your sins, lest he endorse them. He didn't punish you, lest he destroy you. He instead found a way to punish the sin and preserve the sinner. Jesus took your punishment, and God gave you credit for Jesus' perfection.