Thy Kingdom Come
Part 3
12th February 2009
This is our third and final look at the line in the Lord's Prayer that says "Thy kingdom come". The point of this week's column is simply that:
The Kingdom of God is our top priority
Consider these words of Jesus:
Matthew 6v24
No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
There is a choice to be made. What are we going to dedicate our lives to? Where are we going to look for our security? Who will look after us in our old age? Who will provide for our children?
We can try to provide for ourselves, or we can serve God, and trust Him to provide for us. What do you trust more: your own ability to provide for yourself,or God's ability to provide for you?
For Jesus, the answer is obvious:
Matthew 6v25-34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
This very beautiful passage contains two basic messages:
1. All people everywhere should invest more in seeking God's kingdom than in anything else
2. If we obey this instruction, we need not worry about anything ever again
These statements may seem rather bold, perhaps, but let's look at them in turn.
1. All people everywhere should invest more in seeking God's kingdom than in anything else
If we believe that there is a God who created all things, who sustains all things, and who will judge all things, then it's no more than common sense requires to see that nothing else can be as valuable as His kingdom.
If we believe that God is good then, again, there can be nothing as worthwhile and good as His kingdom.
So it would be foolish to treat anything else as being worth as much investment as seeking the kingdom of God.
No?
2. If we obey this instruction, we need not worry about anything ever again
If we invest in seeking God's kingdom before anything else, then will not God look after us?
Do you believe that God will provide for those who seek Him?
If He is real, and if He is powerful, and if He is good, then how can we doubt it?