‘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? Read these 12 things carefully (from Matthew’s Gospel – New Living Translation) 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.’ (5:19) (2) Love ‘…love your enemies!…If you love only those who love you, what good is that?’ (5:44,46) (3) Justice ‘God blesses those who are hungry and thirsty for justice…’ (5:6) (4) Peace ‘God blesses those who work for peace…’ (5:9) (5) Holy Living ‘…let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.’ (5:16) (6) Integrity ‘Just say a simple, “Yes, I will” or “No, I won’t”…’ (5:37) (7) Generosity When you give a gift to someone in need, ‘Give…in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.’ (6:2,4) (8) Spiritual Wholeness ‘…Is anything worth more than your soul?’ (16:26) (9) Biblical Knowledge ‘Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures…’ (22:29) (10) Faith in God ‘…if you had faith as small as a mustard seed…Nothing would be impossible.’ ‘…But with God everything is possible.’ (17:20; 19:26) (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…’ (28:19) According to Jesus these are the things worth living for—and if necessary, dying for!
SoulFood: 2 Kings 24–25, Luke 2:1–7, Ps 144:9–15, Pro 14:5–8
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©