Silas
Beloved of All
Your holding to Matthew 6:33 is a good and right focus, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and to trust Him for all the rest.
That verse calls us to seek God Himself, not just the benefits He can give. It is easy to seek peace of mind or a tranquil life and to make that the goal, but Scripture shows that many go out of the way of God while seeking their own peace. Jesus is calling us to seek the King and His rule first, not just relief from worry. When we seek Him, the peace follows, but peace itself is not the object.
The kingdom He speaks of is the kingdom of light and life where God reigns. There is another kingdom in this world, a kingdom of darkness and death that came through rebellion against God. Man was created to live in fellowship with God in His kingdom, and by free choice turned away from it. Jesus came to make provision so that by that same free choice we can turn back, be restored to fellowship with God, and live under His gracious rule again. To seek first the kingdom is to want His will and His reign over your life above all else, and to live as one who has come home to Him.
The second part of the verse is just as important, His righteousness. Scripture is clear that none of us can produce a righteousness of our own that is good enough. Even the most careful religious efforts fall short. Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. That would be impossible if it depended on our law keeping.
Many are zealous and want to be righteous, but they are ignorant of the righteousness God has provided and try to establish their own by works, by rules and by trying to be good enough. They do not submit to God's way. God's way was promised long before the law was given. Abraham believed God and God counted it to him for righteousness. In the same way, God now counts a person righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is what it means to be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but the righteousness which is from God through faith in Christ. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That righteousness is imputed to you when you trust fully in Jesus. You cannot improve on it, and you do not need to add to it with your own efforts. The Gentiles who did not chase righteousness by the law attained it because they simply believed, while those who chased it by the law did not attain it because they sought it by works.
So to seek His righteousness is to hunger for that gift, to turn from trusting in yourself and to trust in what Jesus has done for you, to know Him personally and to walk with Him.
As you seek Him first in this way, you can trust His promise that He will take care of all the other things you need. He knows what you need and He is faithful to provide as you put Him and His kingdom first.
I pray that the Lord will deepen your desire for Him above all else, that you will rest fully in the righteousness He gives through faith in Jesus, and that you will know the joy of living under His loving rule day by day. May He draw you closer to Himself, strengthen your faith, and supply all that you need according to His wisdom and grace in Christ.
That verse calls us to seek God Himself, not just the benefits He can give. It is easy to seek peace of mind or a tranquil life and to make that the goal, but Scripture shows that many go out of the way of God while seeking their own peace. Jesus is calling us to seek the King and His rule first, not just relief from worry. When we seek Him, the peace follows, but peace itself is not the object.
The kingdom He speaks of is the kingdom of light and life where God reigns. There is another kingdom in this world, a kingdom of darkness and death that came through rebellion against God. Man was created to live in fellowship with God in His kingdom, and by free choice turned away from it. Jesus came to make provision so that by that same free choice we can turn back, be restored to fellowship with God, and live under His gracious rule again. To seek first the kingdom is to want His will and His reign over your life above all else, and to live as one who has come home to Him.
The second part of the verse is just as important, His righteousness. Scripture is clear that none of us can produce a righteousness of our own that is good enough. Even the most careful religious efforts fall short. Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. That would be impossible if it depended on our law keeping.
Many are zealous and want to be righteous, but they are ignorant of the righteousness God has provided and try to establish their own by works, by rules and by trying to be good enough. They do not submit to God's way. God's way was promised long before the law was given. Abraham believed God and God counted it to him for righteousness. In the same way, God now counts a person righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is what it means to be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but the righteousness which is from God through faith in Christ. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. That righteousness is imputed to you when you trust fully in Jesus. You cannot improve on it, and you do not need to add to it with your own efforts. The Gentiles who did not chase righteousness by the law attained it because they simply believed, while those who chased it by the law did not attain it because they sought it by works.
So to seek His righteousness is to hunger for that gift, to turn from trusting in yourself and to trust in what Jesus has done for you, to know Him personally and to walk with Him.
As you seek Him first in this way, you can trust His promise that He will take care of all the other things you need. He knows what you need and He is faithful to provide as you put Him and His kingdom first.
I pray that the Lord will deepen your desire for Him above all else, that you will rest fully in the righteousness He gives through faith in Jesus, and that you will know the joy of living under His loving rule day by day. May He draw you closer to Himself, strengthen your faith, and supply all that you need according to His wisdom and grace in Christ.
