There is one Scripture in the Bible that is very useful in living a life for Jesus and that Scripture is this one:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” – Matthew 6:33.
This is a very true saying and I have found it to be true. I have followed this verse in my heart and life ever since I became a Christian and God has always provided for my needs. It was at times very tough and may yet get even more tough. But has been faithful to give me everything I need and I have served Him and tried to live a righteous life.
“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” – Romans 14:17.
This is also true. True peace comes from following God and seeing your family follow God. All the money in the world couldn’t replace the joy of seeing my children and wife following and serving God.
“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own” – Luke 12:15.
We are to seek after God – meaning we should be praying everyday and reading our Bibles everyday. If we want to live a joyful and peaceful life then we shouldn’t hold the things of this world so dear – like a new car, or a pile of money, or just simply desiring to be wealthy. Oh it’s not easy to stay away from the temptations of this world and falling into a greedy spirit, and we in the West have done that so easily we don’t even notice.
How can you tell if you are leaning towards the material things in life and not the things of God? Simple. How much of your week do you spend doing something for God; and I don’t mean praying, or going to church, or living a morally upright life. I mean doing something for the cause of Christ.
Do you spend even 5 minutes a week doing some kind of ministry to the hearts and souls of other believers; or do you spend at least 5 minutes a week trying to evangelize and save the lost?
If you find that you are not spending much time doing things for the Lord then you are spending too much time in the world: the Bible says:
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” – Matthew 6:21.
So if you are spending zero time doing these things for the Lord, or doing His work, then that is not where your heart is – and that means your heart is somewhere else – likely in the world.
I know. I’ve been there. And I’m still not completely free from greed or the love of money. But my wife and I are not consumed by new floors, or fancy cars, or new furniture. In fact almost all the furniture we have is second hand, so are our clothes.
We hardly buy anything new. One because our finances are not that strong and also because we just don’t get turned on by these things.
We’re happy with quality goods and having our needs met and God has been abundantly supplying us with those things for 26 years now.
The Bible says:
“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” – Hebrews 13:5.
We don’t need oodles of cash in the bank, or glitzy things – we need to have God in our lives and a desire to serve Him and His Kingdom.
His Kingdom is not a matter of what we eat or drink, or what we own or have. Our lives are not given value or worth because we have our mortgages paid off; or because we have a flashier bathroom than our neighbours; or because or windows are more expensive than our neighbours.
A person’s value is not calculated by what he or she owns – we have value because we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and He has forgiven us our sins and we will live forever in eternity.
Some of you are struggling with deep financial needs. Never mind owning a car or paying off a mortgage, you are trying to find out where you are going to get your next meal. God is your God. God is not the God of the rich. God is the God of the poor in spirit. He is the God of those who know in their hearts that they need Him and that serving Him is the greatest value of their lives.
God has forgiven us our sins. He has clothed us with the clothes of righteousness.
We have the chance to bring others into this glorious relationship with Jesus Christ by living godly loved filled lives before them and by telling them about Jesus Christ.
What an amazing opportunity we have to serve God.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and tell others about God. Seek to live a pure and holy life before God and He will bring the rest of the things to you. He will give you the things you desire when you give Him your heart.