337-Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness#
337 Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Life of the Eagle)
The topic of sharing is: Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness.
Scripture from Matthew 6:24-34:
24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (the term "Money" refers to wealth). 25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (or "add a single cubit to your height?") 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these! 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith!
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! Thank you for starting our week of life. We believe that through your kingdom and your righteousness, you will provide us with everything we need. When we seek you, your words will surely give us answers. We will no longer worry about what to eat, what to drink, or what to wear, because you will surely provide. You can feed the birds, and you will certainly be able to feed me, for you love me more than those birds. Supply me with such words and give me strength through your words. Bless every brother and sister who seeks you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
Let’s look at today’s topic: Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness. Many people, when they are in lack or have prayed for a long time without seeing a turnaround, begin to worry, become discouraged, and start trying to use their own methods, yet still see no change. What should they do? Some say, "I am praying too, hoping God will solve the problem as quickly as possible."
We all hope for such changes, but God tells us here: If what you are asking for is about the issues of "food, drink, and clothing," there is no need to strive so hard or worry, because God has a better way: When you seek His kingdom and His righteousness, these things will naturally be added to you without you having to ask.
Do you know what it means to be "added to you"? It is a free gift.
When you receive Jesus, God also adds some things to you, what are they? All things. Since God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
So all things are a gift. When you believe in Jesus, these are freely given to you. What we eat, drink, and wear are also gifts, not something you need to strive for; when you receive one thing, these things are freely given to you. There is no need to waste time on these gifts. When you go to the supermarket and see a gift, you only need to buy the original item, and the gift will naturally be given to you; just see what is primary.
Matthew 6:24,
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (the term "Money" refers to wealth).
What does this mean? Does God want us to be poor? No. God does not want you to treat money as your master while treating Jesus as your master. When there are two masters, you will try to seek both; if there is only one master, you will seek that one master no matter what. God wants you to choose one, just like the world chooses the god of wealth; they choose this one, and for them, it is a good thing. When that god is no longer useful, they abandon that god.
We fear that we worship both the god of wealth and Jesus; sometimes we seek this one, sometimes that one. This way, we will not receive anything. You must know that our Lord is a God of blessings; He desires to solve your problems, but He more wishes to fundamentally resolve your lack. So through today’s words, God tells us not to worry and not to rely on Money, which is wealth.
I initially mentioned that "no one can serve two masters," and another meaning is that we should not be double-minded, for being double-minded will produce worry. This article mentions many things we should not worry about. God wants us to rely on Him wholeheartedly.
Verse 25: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
In other words, when you believe in Jesus today, you belong to Jesus, and you are given to our Heavenly Father. Can’t the Heavenly Father provide for your needs regarding food and drink? Just like when a child is born, before the child is born, the parents have already prepared for the child's needs. God wants us to focus on our lives; as long as our lives are abundant, God will freely give you everything else you need.
Here God tells us why we should not worry: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6:26)
Every time you worry and are anxious about your future, when you are desperately pleading for something, thinking that God will not accomplish it for you, look at the birds of the air. When the birds of the air are not extinct, it is because God has been providing for them.
In China, there have been many years of famine, and many people died. Shouldn't the birds have been eaten during that time? But why are there still so many birds? You must know that these birds are continuously provided for by our Heavenly Father. So do not worry or be anxious. Why? Because worrying cannot add a single hour to your life; the reverse is true; it may reduce it.
God wants us to rely on Him wholeheartedly. Here it mentions some things: you of little faith! The grass of the field is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, and God clothes it so beautifully... (Matthew 6:30)
If you go to the fields or the mountains, those places have no people, yet our God has made those flowers very beautiful. Who are they for? No one sees them. Perhaps from the time they grow until they die, no one has looked at them, yet God still gives them such adornment.
The reason our Lord has written these scriptures here is to tell you: There is no need to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear. Why? Because God can take care of these animals and plants, and He can also take care of you, especially since you are a child of God! Some may say, "You don't know my situation; my situation is terrible!" No matter how terrible it is, when you look up to God, that is your way out. Amen!
So in Jeremiah 29:12-13 it says,
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
What was happening in Jeremiah's time? The Israelites had God but did not rely on God, so there were great problems in their country, and every citizen faced many issues. They thought they were lacking; there was famine in their country, and their people had no food or drink. On the surface, it seemed that the problems were about food, drink, and clothing, but where was the real problem? The spiritual realm was the issue because they had strayed from God, so God’s blessings seemed to be unavailable to them.
When there are fruits like worry, pain, famine, and plagues... these appear, it should be known that perhaps our hearts are too far from God, so God’s provision seems to be cut off from us. At this time, we should seek God. When our relationship with God is restored, these famines and problems will be resolved by God. Hallelujah! Because in Jesus Christ, these things will not occur. What should you do when problems arise? Call on God, pray to God, and He will answer you. He did not say, "I might answer you," but rather, "I will surely answer you."
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Why does God specifically mention seeking Him wholeheartedly here? The problem with the Israelites was that they would look for this person, then that person, and only when it was really impossible would they seek God. God does not want us to be like this. Our Lord wants you to always focus on Jesus, on our Heavenly Father’s provision. You must recognize this one God; He will surely help you, and you can give up on other forms of help. As we mentioned earlier, what we need in terms of food, drink, clothing, and use are all secondary; these additions come from God’s answer, which is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first.
What is God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness? What does His kingdom refer to? Is the kingdom of heaven the same as God’s kingdom? Today we talk about Jesus’ kingdom; the kingdom of heaven is God’s kingdom, and the terms "God's kingdom" and "kingdom of heaven" are not the same in the original Greek. Let’s look at a passage of scripture.
In Luke 17:20-21,
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (or "within you.")
"In your midst" in Greek means "among you." If God’s kingdom and the kingdom of heaven (which we refer to as paradise) are the same, according to this verse, then heaven would be an illusory existence because heaven is in your heart! Therefore, God’s kingdom and the kingdom of heaven are different; the kingdom of heaven is a real place that exists. The kingdom of heaven we will go to in the future is more real than this world; it is not an illusory existence or a dream, but indeed a place that exists.
What does God’s kingdom refer to? It refers to the place where God reigns. This is God’s kingdom. So here the Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus said that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. It is when you are willing to let God rule you and govern your life; this is not something the eyes can see; it is in our hearts.
When a person accepts Jesus and is willing to let Jesus govern his life, that is when God’s kingdom is in his life. Some may say, "I have many problems at home." You need to let God’s kingdom enter your family and let God’s kingdom manage your family; that is God’s kingdom in your home.
In your work, career, life, and interpersonal relationships, just let Jesus enter those areas; that is God’s kingdom in that part of your life. So everyone should remember: The kingdom of heaven refers to paradise, a real existing place; while God’s kingdom refers to the place where God reigns.
When Jesus offered the price for our sins on the cross, He also brought down the blessings, authority, and glory of the Father and gave them to all who believe. When we are willing to let Jesus rule us and manage us, we are letting Jesus take the first place in our hearts; that is God’s kingdom in your life.
When God’s kingdom is in your life, everything begins to change. The name Jesus is a wonderful name, a powerful name; wherever Jesus goes, change occurs. For example, in the past, Nazareth was not considered a good place, and people did not think well of the people from there.
At that time, a true Israelite named Nathanael said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This proves that the reputation of the people from that place was not good. But now looking back, because Jesus was born there, today when people travel to Israel, Nazareth is definitely a must-visit place. It is because Jesus was once there that this place has also changed.
What I mean to say is, in the areas where you are lacking, in the parts of your life that are most lacking, please let Jesus take the first place; let God’s kingdom reign in that place, and your weakness will be replaced by strength, and your lack will be replaced by abundance. Because when God’s kingdom lives in your heart, everything will change.
Colossians 1:17-20,
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Here it mentions that when you let Jesus take the first place, when Jesus is first in your heart, in your home, and in everything you do, that is God’s kingdom in that place. So what benefits will this bring? First, you must know that letting Jesus take the first place in your heart and life is because He is before all things, and all things hold together through Him.
What does "hold together through Him" mean? Today all things stand firm through Jesus. Do you hope your career will always be stable? Do you hope your family will always be strong? Do you hope that everything you do will be abundant? Then let Jesus, who can make you stand firm, take the first place in your life!
When Jesus is in the first place, everything else will follow Him. I tell many people that in the beginning, God’s order of creation was like this: at the top is God, below is Adam, and below that is all things. When Adam looked up to God and listened to God’s words, all things listened to Adam. This is how all things belonged to Adam and to God. Amen! At that time, Adam managing all things was very simple; there was no failure or lack. The reason is simple: he completely listened to God, and all things completely listened to him.
But later, Adam sinned. After Adam sinned, he did not listen to God but listened to the devil, entered into the law, and began to live by himself. This is the current state of humanity. So what is the current order? God is still in the first place, but the second place has become all things, and below that is man. Therefore, today, there are more and more materialists and power worshippers who worship people, idols, and all things because they do not know God; they have not placed Jesus in the first place, which has led to disorder.
All things themselves are a void existence; they need to listen to man to stand. But now you let people pursue all things and money, so people are completely confused. You will find that people will go to any lengths to pursue all things; their hearts are corrupted. Unless we return to God’s original creation, we will not find peace.
Now that we have established the church through Jesus, we need to restore the order of God’s original creation. If you want to be blessed, if you want to witness Jesus’ power in your life, if you want to change all the problems in your life, it is not difficult; restore the original principles of God’s creation, let God still be in the first place in your life, and follow God, and all things will follow you! Your family, your problems, your work, and everything else will be subject to the authority of Jesus. The reason is simple: because He is before all things, and all things hold together through Him.
The truths we teach in church may be different from what the world teaches. The world tells you that you must work hard to succeed, while we tell you that God blesses you, and then you work, and you will surely succeed. The reason is simple: Jesus is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead. When we let Jesus take the first place in everything, the blessings will come upon you. Because God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him. This "in Him" refers to Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to experience the presence of Jesus in your life, many people say, "I have believed in the Lord for many years and have never experienced Jesus." From now on, put Jesus in the first place in your life, make Jesus great in everything, and live this way, and you will surely see that this abundance will manifest in your life because there is nothing but abundance in Jesus. In Him, there is no poverty, no lack, no sickness. Hallelujah!
Later it tells you why you can receive these things: because through Him, peace was achieved by the blood He shed on the cross. I just told you that after Adam sinned, he broke the relationship with God; we were cut off from God and died. But now, after Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross, our relationship with the Heavenly Father has been restored through Jesus.
Dear family, I hope you can experience the wonders of Jesus in your life. We believe in the Lord not only for salvation but also hope that our lives are abundant. Hallelujah! Therefore, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and let your focus be on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. Let God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness take the first place in your life, and everything you need will be given to you by God through Jesus.
It says, "and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven." The blessings Abraham received include not only heavenly blessings but also earthly blessings. I hope that after you accept Jesus, you are not only spiritually rich but also hope that you are abundant in life. This way, you can bear the best witness for Jesus before the world. No matter what work you do, I hope you can experience the abundance of Jesus in your field because everything you need is in Christ, and all things are governed by Him. So when our hearts are willing to be managed by Him, everything will change accordingly. This is God’s kingdom; everyone knows this.
What is God’s righteousness? It is God’s attribute. Righteousness is God’s attribute.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This passage tells us what God’s righteousness is. Righteousness is God’s attribute. It can also be said that in righteousness, we possess all abundance, and righteousness also refers to our reconciliation with God.
How are we reconciled with God? It says, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. In the past, our lives were sinful, problematic, lacking, and poor, but that life has died. The moment you accept Jesus, your old life has died, and God has created a new life for you, placing the life of Christ within you.
It says the old has gone, the new is here. What is meant by "new" here is that God sees you as a new person in the spiritual realm. Now we should live with the appearance and mindset of a new person, filled with God’s righteousness. Hallelujah!
Knowing that you are righteous will change your life. We often say that we are justified by faith. What does justification by faith have to do with our lives? After being justified by faith, we possess God’s attributes. In other words, you can live in this world like Jesus, living a victorious life with power and authority. This is God’s righteousness in you. This righteousness is filled with God’s authority, God’s glory, and the relationship of reconciliation with the Heavenly Father, and peace with the world, etc.
Many people do not understand what "righteousness" can bring us, which is the blessing of the righteous, the authority of the righteous, and the glory of the righteous. I do not know how many Christians can live such a life! Many people only know that they are justified by faith; they only know that God accepts them, but how do they live out the blessings of the righteous in their lives?
That is, first, you must believe that God’s righteousness is already upon you. Everything is from God. You are justified not by your efforts but by God when you believe in Him, believing that Jesus has done this for you on the cross. God has reconciled with you.
Knowing that your relationship with the Heavenly Father is good means that whatever you need on earth, our Heavenly Father can provide for you. Just like you and your father, if your father lacks nothing in this world and holds the highest authority in the world, when you are in need, can you not ask him for help? He is willing to give to you; your father loves you and is willing to give to you, so you will no longer worry. This is God’s righteousness in us.
If you can understand this relationship, Christians will not worry or be anxious no matter what they encounter in the world. The reason many Christians still worry, still fear, is precisely because they do not know God’s righteousness is upon them, or they do not know what God’s righteousness brings them. So God tells us that everything is from Him; He reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
What does it mean to bear witness for Jesus? I have experienced this Jesus, and I tell you about my experience with Jesus so that you can also experience this Jesus. The reason I have experienced this Jesus is that I know that through Jesus, my relationship with the Heavenly Father has been reconciled, and everything I need, God will provide for me. God has already provided for me; I have many such testimonies in my life. I share this testimony with you to tell you that your relationship with the Heavenly Father is also good. When you have problems or are in need, you can also rely on this Lord. Knowing that His righteousness is upon you, He will also provide for you.
The purpose of our witnessing and teaching truths to others is to tell everyone that your relationship with God is already good. Even if you fail now, God will not abandon you; He will help you. This is the application of justification by faith. Many people know justification by faith and treat it as a theological concept or a course to study, but in life, we need to apply this part.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
In the past, many people always asked, "Your kingdom come, your righteousness come." At that time, Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. Here, I want to share the difference between the Old and New Testaments. When did the New Testament begin? It began when Jesus went to the cross, shed His precious blood, and rose from the dead. Before this, it belonged to the Old Testament; after this, it belongs to the New Testament.
We are certainly in the New Testament now because it has been 2000 years since Jesus went to the cross, so it is impossible to return to before the law. We were born into the New Testament, which means what? It means that the moment you accept Jesus, there is no need to ask for God’s kingdom to come or for God’s righteousness to come.
When Jesus was teaching His disciples at that time, God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness had not yet come. They could only see God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness through Jesus, but at that time, Jesus had not yet gone to the cross and had not shed His blood to cleanse their sins. So Jesus said, "You should seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all that you need will be added to you."
With Jesus at the center, what was before Jesus is called the Old Testament, and what is after Jesus is called the New Testament. In the Old Testament, that is, before Jesus went to the cross, when people prayed, they needed to pray in the future tense, saying, "Lord, let your kingdom come, let your righteousness come upon me." They did not see this fact, but they could believe through sacrifices that God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness would come upon them. They were asking for something in the future tense. When God saw their faith, He considered that God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness were upon them.
In Jesus’ time, when Jesus went to the cross, at that moment, God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness were being accomplished. At that time, you could say, "Lord, I now see your kingdom and your righteousness coming." God would say, "I have received it; I see it; I will accomplish your prayer." And today, we are already in the blessings accomplished by Jesus, so there is no need to ask for God’s kingdom to come or God’s righteousness to come because it has already been accomplished. Hallelujah!
In the past, we did not know how to pray; we would say, "Lord, let your kingdom come." Do we still need to ask like this? No, because God’s kingdom has already come. Through Jesus, God has brought the blessings of the heavenly kingdom down to earth. Amen! You can live out the heavenly style here on earth. In other words, the church you are in now is a model of the kingdom of heaven.
I often joke with some people that if you can’t even come to church for an hour in a week, then don’t go to heaven; you will suffer there! Why? Because one day when we get to heaven, will you still need someone to teach you the Bible? Will you still need to evangelize? No, you won’t. Will you still need to understand various truths of the Bible and seek those blessings? No, you won’t. Everything will be accomplished and realized. What will we do in heaven? -- Praise and worship! You say this life is too monotonous! So if you can’t even endure an hour of praise and preaching now, it will truly be a suffering in heaven! Now we need to practice a bit so that we won’t be unaccustomed when we get to heaven.
The church is a model of the future kingdom of heaven. We need to adapt to the future life; otherwise, it will truly be painful to go there. Because day and night, you will be praising God, how can that be endured! Now you know that God’s kingdom has already come? It has come down through Jesus. Hallelujah! Now when you see the church, you see that God’s kingdom has already come. So let’s live in this way of the church! Is Jesus the first place in the church? Let your life also let Jesus take the first place!
Today, do you still need to ask, "Lord, let your righteousness come upon me!"? No, you don’t.
Because at the moment you believed in Jesus, Jesus has already given you His righteousness. In other words, you are clothed in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness. Some may ask, "What does this have to do with my life?" It has a great deal to do with your life. Have you ever seen soldiers? When they wear their uniforms, don’t they all look the same? A few days ago, we watched a military parade; those people looked the same, moved the same, wore the same hats, and their uniforms were all the same; they looked like one person.
Do you know that at the moment you accepted Jesus, when Jesus gave you His righteousness, you are clothed in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness? In God’s eyes, you are the same as Jesus. In life, all things see you as the same as Jesus; the devil sees you as the same as Jesus. Do you understand this? So there is no need to exaggerate the devil’s power; the devil has already failed; he fears Jesus.
When all things see Jesus, they listen to Jesus’ words. Jesus spoke to the wind and waves, saying, "Be still!" and they obeyed His words. When God’s righteousness is upon you, you can also use the name of the Lord Jesus to command all things. You need to think about this: when you often meditate on God’s kingdom within you and God’s righteousness upon you, it will greatly transform your life.
If you understand this, Christians cannot be weak or powerless in the world; they are a victorious authority. Amen! Jesus has already overcome the world, and He has given you the authority of victory. God’s righteousness is upon you, and you should live righteously.
Too many Christians only know this theory and do not know what it means for them. For example, a student who just graduated from police academy is a traffic officer. On the first day of work, when standing at the intersection, people around will look at you and think you are just an intern who just came and has no ability. Will they look at you this way? People do not see your ability; they see your uniform. Right? Even if it is your first day on the job, when you signal a car to pull over, must they not listen to you? Even if they are experienced drivers who have been driving for over 20 years, they must listen.
As an enforcer, we need to have such confidence, which we call faith in the Lord. Knowing that God’s righteousness is upon you, even if it is your first day believing in Jesus, you can command all things to follow you in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you know how much change this will bring to your life? You will not get worse; as some say, "Things were fine before I believed in the Lord, but since I believed, things have gotten worse!"
What are they trying to express? They feel that God has taken everything from them. In fact, if God wanted to take everything from you, would He need to wait until you believed in Him to do so? There is no need for that at all. The moment you believe in Jesus, He is a God who is willing to bless you. The thoughts of Jehovah are not to harm you but to bless you. Remember this.
Some may ask, "Then why did things start to go wrong after believing in the Lord?" It is simple: because the evil one knows that from now on, you will prosper, and he will do everything to drag you down, hoping you will not rely on God and will stay away from Him. In this way, you will live in weakness and always doubt God, not knowing God’s righteousness or God’s kingdom, and not knowing how to be a victorious Christian. This is what the devil hopes for.
If you are in a similar situation, I want to tell you to firmly trust in God on this path, and soon you will see breakthroughs. I have also gone through this. Many people have such experiences to tell us that when we decide to trust in God, the devil will certainly deceive us, but we must hold fast to what we believe, knowing that God’s righteousness is upon you, and you can use your authority, and your life will be different. We are all justified by faith, possessing the blessings of the righteous. Understanding these things, what help does it bring to our lives? Knowing that Jesus will supply you with everything, the Heavenly Father loves you, and in your weakness, failure, and despair, you will not be discouraged or disappointed.
How many people place all their hopes on their husbands, and one day when that man betrays them, the woman no longer wants to live; she finds no motivation or hope to live in this world. Why? The goal was misplaced. Conversely, the same goes for men who place all their hopes on a woman; when that woman betrays him, the man cannot live anymore.
Some may say, "I am not like that." You may just have changed the way you place all your hopes on your children, your career, making money, etc. When one day these things become unreliable, lost, or change, life will also collapse. What is the reason? The place was misplaced! God wants us to place the highest priority on His kingdom and His righteousness because these two do not change.
Place all your highest goals in God because He does not change. Even if other things may be lost or change, you will not lose hope. I hope our brothers and sisters adjust their life goals and focus on Jesus, on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. When you understand these things, you will no longer worry about what to eat, what to drink, or what to wear.
Matthew 6:31-32,
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Here it mentions that "what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, these are what the pagans seek." When you seek His kingdom and His righteousness, these things will be added to you. Our Heavenly Father means that you should not chase after these things, do not chase after what to eat, drink, or wear, because these are ultimately a bottomless pit.
There was once a very wise man named Solomon, who took his whole life as an experiment. Did he not pursue food? He tasted all kinds of delicacies. Did he not pursue clothing? He pursued that too; Solomon wore very luxurious clothes. And "what to drink," just look at how much was brought to Solomon every year! He enjoyed all the beautiful things in the world, yet he overlooked the most important thing—he overlooked God. So when he was old, at the end of his life, he found that all of this was vanity.
Do you still need to try this out? Life is too short; we have already wasted a lot of time in life when we believed in the Lord. Now there is no need to experiment to see if this saying is correct. Today, we need to believe everything God says. When you seek His kingdom and His righteousness, placing your focus on His kingdom and His righteousness, God will add everything you need to you.
To seek His kingdom and His righteousness in the original Greek means to prioritize, to be of utmost importance, to occupy the highest position. So my dear family, God wants us, before you need anything, to first think of God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and then all that you need, our Heavenly Father says He will add to you. Because all of this is given through Jesus. Hallelujah!
You say, "No, everything I do is earned through my hard work!" Have you ever thought that if God does not bless you, how can you find it? Many people say, "I planted a soybean seed, and then it grew into a soybean sprout, and then I harvested soybeans." If God does not bless you, you will not even have seeds to plant. Is that so? Since crops are like this, the same principle applies in business and everything else you do.
When you seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, it means that when you often meditate on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, you know that through Jesus, you have been reconciled with the Heavenly Father, and the Father is pleased with you; He has already blessed you, so you will no longer worry about other issues in your life.
When the pagans seek things, "what the pagans seek," the Greek word for "seek" here is completely different from the word we just mentioned for "seek His kingdom and His righteousness." Although both are "to seek," in the Greek original, they are two completely different words: you should not imitate the way pagans seek things, which means they seek with all their might, putting in a lot of effort and enduring a lot of pressure.
What do pagans seek? What to eat, what to drink, what to wear, right? And the word "seek" they use means they exert all their effort to obtain what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. Think about it, don’t unbelievers live like this! Today, when I have money, I change my small house for a bigger one. I change what I eat for something more upscale. I wear better clothes and travel around the world. That’s it.
God says, "I give you the whole world, yet you have no life; what benefit is that?" So this is what the pagans seek; they strive with all their might to pursue what to eat, drink, and wear. And these, in Christ, God says, "I give to you freely." What does God want you to prioritize? God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. He wants you to think about the beauty of Jesus, to think about what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross, and God says: "I will add the other things you need."
Some may ask, "What does this have to do with our lives?" It is simple. For example, if you are in a certain industry and often think about God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, it is hoped that you will manifest the glory of Jesus in that industry. God will surely give you that opportunity. But if it is the world, they want to earn more money in that industry, merely for the sake of what to eat, drink, and wear. But you see the glory of God and the work of God in it.
God wants us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. It is simple; here "to seek" means to yearn, to worship, to believe. We simply yearn for God’s kingdom without needing to pay a price because God’s kingdom has already been given to you. When you continually meditate on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, God will solve the problems you need in your life.
My dear family, for us under the New Testament, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness means remembering every day that you are from above, that you are a person of the kingdom of heaven. This is similar to our country’s embassies abroad, for example, the embassies in Afghanistan or Iraq. Those places are often at war, with famine everywhere, and full of problems, but the embassy is not affected by this. Do you know why? Because all the supplies in the embassy come from its country, not from local supplies.
We are heavenly people; we are merely temporary residents on this earth. You must believe that your supplies on this earth do not come from the world but are given from above. Hallelujah! Always have this mindset to think about "His kingdom, His righteousness." Then God will let you know that there is no lack there, there is no economic crisis, and there are no broken interpersonal relationships. God will give you all these blessings.
Some may have similar experiences; before believing in the Lord, there were many bad friends around, but one day after believing in the Lord, they found many people around them who believe in Jesus, which they had not noticed before. In fact, this is God opening another path for you. You did not see it before, but now you see it because when you are in God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, your path is no longer the same. Thank you and praise the Lord!
In Christ, you are a new creation. Every day remember that your supply comes from our Heavenly Father. Believe that the Heavenly Father is willing to bless you, and then go to work with a blessed heart! The world wants to work hard to obtain blessings, but you wake up every day, believing that you are already blessed through God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. Wherever you go, you will surely bring God’s blessings.
I have shared many times that when we go to a place, business will improve, and the owner will be blessed because such blessings are continually appearing.
Last week when I went out, in the evening, I went to take a bath with them. It was around 8:30 PM, and there was not a single person in the bathhouse. I was surprised; how could there be no one at this time! It was still next to the train station! The steam room’s stove was not turned on, and we went to turn it on. It was raining outside, so no one was there. I used an instinctive thought (that wherever I go, I bring blessings to others) and thought: soon there will be many people here because I came. Why do I have such certainty? Because I am a heavenly person. Because of Jesus’ righteousness upon me, since we arrived, this place will begin to change. In just half an hour, by 9 PM, there were already quite a few people.
Have you thought about what the reason is? This is because you have God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness in your heart. No matter what you do, first believe that God has blessed you, and that is why you are doing this. Wherever you go, you will surely bring blessings to that place. This is the way of living for heavenly people on earth; let your thoughts be filled with the awareness of God’s kingdom so that others can see God’s righteousness upon you. Hallelujah!
When Jesus was on earth, did He think this way? Wherever He went, He knew He was the Son of God, and He knew that God’s authority was upon Him. You should also live this way. So when problems arise, you can learn to use Jesus’ authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life. At the same time, wherever you go, God, through you, will also bring the blessings of God’s kingdom there. Didn’t Jesus also say that wherever you go into someone’s house, you should first seek peace for that house? What does this mean? You can bring peace to the house of the person you visit. Hallelujah! This is us.
I wish that every righteous person in Christ would think about their life this way every day: seek Jesus first, spend time with Jesus, pray with the Holy Spirit, listen to His words. You are using the authority of the righteous. When you encounter problems, do not accept others’ condemnation or the influence of others’ attacks; your eyes are on the Heavenly Father because you are precious in His sight due to Jesus’ righteousness upon you. This way, you can ensure that you can have peace and joy in everything. Hallelujah! Thank you and praise the Lord! By doing this, you are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness first, and you will see that everything you need has already been added to you by God.
In Matthew 7:7-11,
7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Through this passage, you can know that you need to ask the Heavenly Father for what you need. Before asking, please first believe that God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness are upon you, and your Heavenly Father will give you everything you need. You can meditate on the previous passage.
Finally, let’s look at this passage, Hebrews 11:6: And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
You have believed in God, so place God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness at the top of your life! When you continually believe that Jesus’ righteousness is upon you and that God’s kingdom is upon you, and then pray to God, you will have certainty. Because you know that God is pleased with you. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. When you pray to Him, it is not based on your good deeds or merits to move God, because you are a child of God, and you possess the righteousness of Christ, so the Heavenly Father is willing to bless you. Pray to Him with this heart, and you will surely receive what you desire because God is willing to reward those who seek Him. Thank you and praise the Lord!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for supplying us through this word. We seek your kingdom and your righteousness, and you will add everything we need to us. To seek first means to place God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness as our priority because we yearn for your kingdom and yearn for your righteousness. Every day, be aware that through Jesus, your kingdom is within me, allowing you to take the first place in my life. Your righteousness is upon me; I am clothed in the robe of Jesus’ righteousness, and I can live like Jesus in this world. You have overcome this world; you are the victorious King!
Today, I bear your victory and witness to glorify your name in my life! As we begin this new week, please help me to use this authority and this word, often meditate on God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness in my life, so that I can overcome in everything. Bless everything my brothers and sisters do; we are already blessed people, and we believe that what we do will surely be blessed. Thank you and praise the Lord for allowing us to live in all your abundance. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!