Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:31-33
Jesus’ entire ministry for three an a half years was centred around the gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the dominion of God, God as the king over visible and invisible things. Psalm 24:13 says God is the King of glory. Therefore Christ, when asked when the Kingdom is coming, said that the Kingdom is within man, Christ in you, the hope of glory, Luke 17:20-21, Colossians 1:27. Man in connection with God at the beginning was given the dominion to express the Kingdom of God on earth, Genesis 1:26-28, but when he chose to define good and evil and fell, he lost all dominion to the devil. This is what Jesus came to restore to man.
What is the Kingdom of God? It is a person, Jesus Christ in us. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”. This means by priority, the Kingdom of God must be manifested in your lifestyle. Doing things in the right way is living is righteousness. Therefore, sometimes, the bible would call a person who was not a Jew, righteous, Acts 10:22. There is a right way, a kingdom way to do everything including prayer, giving, living every day life, leisure, marriage, etc. The Kingdom of God is also not meat and drink or material things, as the Jews mistook it to mean, Romans 14:17. It is the power of the Holy Spirit operating in a person to bring righteousness, peace and Joy in the Holy spirit. If a person is struggling with any of these, they have most likely deviated from the path of the Kingdom.
How does one enter the Kingdom? Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, John 3:3-5. The primary purpose for the coming of Jesus was not that we will be born again. Being born again only allows you to see the Kingdom. A man who is born again and does not grow only sees the Kingdom. The primary purpose Jesus came was to show us the way to the Father, John 14:6. Being born again gives you the exclusive right to see the Kingdom of God. However, you need to progressively move from being born again, to be being born of water and of the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God.
We will explore the meaning of this phrase in a subsequent meditation. As Paul said, if a man does not have the Spirit of God in Him, he does not belong to the Lord. If we therefore have this Kingdom within us, we must live by its precepts. It is our responsibility to seek the Kingdom way in everything we do. This is what it means to seek first the Kingdom. Rather than doing things the way the of the Kingdoms of this world, seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, that is the Kingdom way characterized by righteousness, peace and Joy and everything else will be added unto you.
Prayer for today: My Father, King of heaven, Hallowed be your name. Lord, may your Kingdom and dominion be seen in my life and Your will prevail. Father, teach me how to live in the Kingdom way and not the way of the World. I receive the diligence to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that everything else will be added unto me. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
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