But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33, NASB1995).
What was the number one topic of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels?
We might think prayer, the Word, miracles, or discipleship, but Jesus mentioned “Kingdom” over 160 times. The Kingdom of God was the most important teaching of Jesus and the most radical.
To follow Jesus, we must understand the Kingdom of God.
A king has two roles: to protect (savior) and to guide or lead (lord). Jesus is both Lord and Savior in our lives, and when we confess His name, we indicate our need for salvation and our desire to follow Him.
Matthew 6:33 was one of the first verses that I memorized as a believer. This Kingdom verse has guided my life as I ask before any major decision, “Is this seeking first His kingdom?”
I’ve learned that the Kingdom is about faith. Do we have Kingdom faith?
We enter the Kingdom by faith, live our lives in the Kingdom through faith, and because of our faith, someday, we will enter the eternal Kingdom of Jesus.
A question that I ask myself is, “Where am I living by faith now?” God never stops your spiritual growth. When we stop taking steps of faith, we stop maturing in Christ.
The Kingdom is bold proclamation.
Since the Kingdom hasn’t been established with many of our friends, our places of work, and often even in a local church – we are called to be emissaries of Jesus. I ask myself these questions, “Lord, whom should I disciple next?” and “Who have you brought into my path that I should tell about Jesus?”
The Kingdom is unshakable. The book of Hebrews teaches . . .
Since we receive a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer God an acceptable service with reverence and awe (12:28).
I realize we will all have doubts and discouraging days. But the Kingdom can take our trials, place them into a proper God perspective, and give us peace. I often ask, “God, what is taking away my peace?”
The Kingdom is power!
For the Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).
This is cutting edge for me now – the power of God. I’ve prayed for many to get healed, and a few have. I want to pray for healing, provision, and peace with great faith. I believe the Kingdom has power for all of us, and I’m asking God to reveal what I need to do to walk more fully in His power.
To review, remember the following . . .
- Am I seeking first the Kingdom with this decision?
- Who should I disciple?
- What is taking away my peace?
- God, allow me to pray with power!
Early in my Christian walk, I read a book on the Kingdom of God written by E. Stanley Jones. He says this about the Kingdom . . .
For the Church to be relevant the answer is simple: Discover the Kingdom, surrender to the Kingdom, make the Kingdom your life loyalty and your life program; then in everything and everywhere you will be relevant. For the kingdom of God is relevancy, ultimate and final relevancy.
I praise Jesus, who is my Lord and Savior.