‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else…’ Matthew 6:33 NLT
What does it mean to put God’s Kingdom first in your life? It means 12 things. Read them carefully then ask, ‘How do I measure up?’ (1) obedience to God. ‘…anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.’ (Matthew 5:19 NLT) (2) love. ‘…love your enemies!…If you love only those who love you, what good is that?’ (Matthew 5:44,46 NLT) (3) justice. ‘God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice…’ (Matthew 5:6 NLT) (4) peace. ‘God blesses those who work for peace…’ (Matthew 5:9 NLT) (5) holy living. ‘…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’ (Matthew 5:16 NLT) (6) integrity. ‘Just say a simple, "Yes, I will" or "No, I won’t"…’ (Matthew 5:37 NLT) (7) generosity. When you give a gift to someone in need, ‘Give…in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:2,4 NLT) (8) spiritual wholeness. ‘…Is anything worth more than your soul?’ (Matthew 16:26 NLT) (9) Biblical knowledge. ‘Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures…’ (Matthew 22:29 NLT) (10) Faith in God. ‘…if you had faith as small as a mustard seed…Nothing would be impossible.’ ‘…But with God everything is possible.’ (Matthew 17:20; 19:26 NLT) (11) blessing people. Jesus not only taught this, but His constant healing of, training, and serving others demonstrated how to do it (12) disciple-making. ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…’ (Matthew 28:19 NLT) According to Jesus that’s the only agenda worth living for-and if necessary, dying for!
SoulFood: Jer 4-6, Mark 15:1-20, Ps 144:9-15, Pr 14:5-8
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2011
