ESOCS Devotional 11 February 2022
TEXT: MATTHEW 6:24-34
MEMORY VERSE: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place ”
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a]mammon.
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [b]cubit to his [c]stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [d]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [b]cubit to his [c]stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [d]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
With the high rate at which people (believers alike) seek things, both material and otherwise, it becomes imperative that our minds be re-oriented on the right course to seek for. Jesus Christ in our text expressly admonished that our search be beamed on the twin-like elements: God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. For Him, this is the ultimate thing to search for. It should take the priority in everything you seek, as it has the capacity to magnet and pull every other thing you may ever need in this life to your direction: “… and all these things shall be added unto you.” Hear this, to seek the kingdom of God implies that you are concerned and committed to the growth of the kingdom. Like Daniel, your heart is towards the expansion of the kingdom. You are evangelically driven to get more souls saved and converted for kingdom increase. Importantly, it implies that God’s kingdom is your life goal; so that after your sojourn on earth, you are guaranteed of a place in the kingdom.
In the light of the above, to seek God’s righteousness is to live rightly for God. It is to follow His precepts and live in His will. It is to pattern your life after His life. It is longing for and passionate about righteousness. It is to instill and teach righteousness to all that come your way. It is to reflect righteousness in your speech, dress code, actions, and dealings with people.
This is the ultimate search; and be assured that you cannot regret if you obey God in seeking it first.
- Obey God today and every other day in seeking first His kingdom and righteousness
- Maintain focus on kingdom matters to avoid deviation from the reward.
- Father, thank you for giving us your kingdom; endow us with the grace to seek it first all the days of our lives, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Leviticus 26:14-20; Songs of Solomon 8:5-7; Ephesians 6:10-24
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ESOCS Devotional 11 February 2022
