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We have lots of competing demands on our time. It is very helpful to know helpful to have a top priority that we can filter things through.
Matthew 6 – Jesus gave his disciples a number one priority. The Kingdom of God is something that Jesus talked about quite a bit, like a treasure hidden in a field, selling all that he owns to purchase the field.
The Kingdom of Heaven is something that grows. Like a farmer plants seeds that eventually yields a harvest. Like leaven in a batch of dough that grows and spreads. He talked about it as something that has to be entered.
Jesus also talks about how the Kingdom of Heaven is only something that will be visible when separation happens at the judgment.
So, what is the Kingdom of Heaven? The territory that is submitted to God. Whatever is submitted to and living according to the will of the Father.
Our own self must die if we’re going to have room in our hearts for the Kingdom of God. When we are standing in line for the bathroom at school, self wants to shove back, but Jesus says to turn the other cheek! Self wants to be nice to people who are kind to us and ignore or mistreat those who mistreat us.
In light of the fact that Jesus’ Kingdom will last for eternity, we should be seeking the eternal over the temporary. We have something temporary (our lives) but we can give them up to gain the thing that we can not lose. One way to do this is to invest in people, souls will last for eternity!
Have you ever worried about whether your house was prepared for company? Or whether you have enough food to feed folks? The relationship is more important than these details. Are we using our temporary lives to build something that will last for eternity?
We need to prioritize people and relationships that will last, but even relationships can come between us and God, and the Kingdom. Even our family needs to not come between us and the Kingdom of the Father.
We need to choose faith over fear. Seeking the Kingdom of God can be scary. God is asking us to give, to do things that don’t come naturally. When we have real, immediate needs, it can be hard to remember Jesus’ teaching here.
Jesus offers us the priority to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Scriptures used – Matthew 6:19-34, Luke 9:23-25, Luke 18:29-30, 1 Kings 17:8