Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: But Seek Ye First The Kingdom Of God - Matthew 6:33

By

Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

“But” can be a powerful word. It changes the direction of a whole idea, and no book uses this word more masterfully than the Bible. Just a few examples show the importance of this simple conjunction and its power…

Joshua 24:15b – …but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Psalm 9:7 – But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Isaiah 54:8 – In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

Luke 12:31 – But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In the Gospel, Jesus refreshed and renewed the call for obedience to God and invigorated this call with His Spirit in the hearts of His disciples. This call to seek the divine kingdom surpasses and envelopes all other doctrines and creeds. It the great “but” to all other motivations and callings in life.

We want successful careers and good health. We want to see our children grow up strong and intelligent. We want to vacation and see amazing things. We want to lose our fears and weaknesses. But before all these things we must first seek the kingdom of God. The Gospel tells us this kingdom is at hand (Matthew 4:17), and Jesus told us not to look for it in the world but within (Luke 17:21).

No matter what you do today, pray earnestly for God’s heavenly kingdom to be revealed within you today. Turn aside from corrupt treasures and lay hold on the divine. It is God’s good pleasure to give the kingdom to His children (Luke 12:32).

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more