Matthew 6:33 - Make Christ First And Last And Best In Everything!!!
Matthew 6:33 (NLT) Seek the Kingdom of God
above all else, and live righteously, and he will
give you everything you need.
INTRODUCTION
To seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness means to give him first place in your
life. It means to turn to God first for help, to
fill your thoughts with his desires, to take his
character for your pattern, and to serve and obey him
in everything. What is really important to you?
People, objects, goals, and other desires all
compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump
God out of first place if you dont actively
choose to give him first place in every area of
your life. [Life Application SB]
We are to make Him first and last and best
in everything. We are to engage in no business,
follow no pursuit, seek no pleasure, that would
hinder the outworking of His righteousness in our
character and life. Whatever we do is to be done
heartily, as unto the Lord If we follow His
example, His assurance to us is that all things
needful in this life "shall be added." MB99
Make Christ first and last and best in
everything. Constantly behold Him, and your love for Him
will daily become deeper and stronger as it is
submitted to the test of trial. AH106
Whatever our department of labor, be it
housework or field work or intellectual pursuits, we
may perform it to the glory of God so long as we
make Christ first and last and best in
everything. 5T459
COMMENTARY PEARL
King George V wrote on the flyleaf of the
Bible of a friend: "The secret of happiness is not
to do what you like to do, but to learn to like
what you have to do."
Too many people think happiness is an
elusive, will-o'-the-wisp thing to be found only by
constant pursuit and relentless searching. But
happiness is not an end in itself; it is the byproduct
of something far greater. Jesus told His
disciples: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you"
(Matt. 6:33). The "things" He spoke of were the
basic needs of life: food, drink, clothes,
shelter. He told us not to make these things the
chief goal of our lives, but to "seek... the
kingdom."
There, if we will take it, is the secret
of happiness: "Seek first the kingdom of God."
How do we do this? By submitting ourselves
without reserve to Jesus Christ as King of our lives
every day. This is the path of true happiness.
In what ways have you been trying to
create happiness in your life? Ask God to redirect
your efforts and to give you a heart that seeks
his kingdom more than worldly pleasures. [Hope
for Each Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
When Jesus said, But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you, what things
was He talking about?
Well, He was talking about what youre
going to eat, what youre going to wear - all
the things that you care about. And God will
take care of all these things if you put Him
first.
But what does it mean to seek first
the kingdom of God? It means study the Bible,
know what the Bible says about things, and do
what the Bible tells you to do.
One day as Jesus was talking with the
disciples, Peter said to Him, See, we have left all
and followed You (Mark 10:28 NKJV).
Jesus then made a promise that also
applies to us today: Assuredly, I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or father or mother or wife or children or
lands, for My sake and the gospels, who shall
not receive a hundredfold now in this time -
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and
children and lands, with persecutions - and in the
age to come, eternal life (verses 29-30
NKJV).
To loosely paraphrase, whatever you give
up to follow Christ, God will replace it with
something far better. It may be in this life - or it
may not be.
There will be tragedies, setbacks, and
inexplicable things that happen to us and make no sense.
But God promises that He will compensate. He
will repay. He will make it up to us. And when we
get to the afterlife, well see how true that
really is.
One day it all will be sorted out. It all
will make sense. But until that day, our focus
should be to walk closely with the Lord and put Him
first. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Do you want to know what's important to
you? Its whatever you worry about most. Worry
tells you what's important in your life. If you
worry about it, it's important to you. If you
don't worry about it, then either you've entrusted
it to God, or it's not that important to you.
Every time you start to worry, you should
stop and turn the worry into a prayer. If you
prayed about everything you worried about, you'd
have a lot less to worry about. Worry won't
change anything. But prayer can change everything!
Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount,
"These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows all your
needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and
live righteously, and he will give you everything
you need (Matthew 6:32-33 NLT).
When your priorities are right, God's
answer is yes. He'll give you all you need if
your first concern is to live for his kingdom.
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
The Four Monuments of Human Nature:
Fortune, Fame, Power, Pleasure
Built in clusters, making them appear
formidable and acceptable. As the idols in ancient
Athens, our society is saturated with them.
FORTUNE. How neatly it fits our times!
Its inscription at the base is bold: "Get rich."
The figure in the statue is impressive - a
hardworking young executive, a clever, diligent
businessman unwilling to admit the greed behind his long
hours and relentless drive.
FAME. Another monument tailor-made for
this twenty-first century. It reads: "Be famous."
All its figures are bowing in worship of the
popularity cult eagerly anticipating the day when
their desire to be known, seen, quoted, applauded,
and exalted will be satisfied. Young and old
surround the superficial celebrity scene.
POWER. Etched in the flesh of this human
edifice are these words: "Take control." These
figures are capitalizing on every opportunity to
seize the reins of authority and race to the top
regardless.
PLEASURE. The fourth monument is perhaps
the most familiar of all. Its message is
straightforward: "Indulge yourself." If it looks good, grab
it! If it tastes good, eat it drink it! If
it feels good, do it!
Conspicuous by its absence is the
underlying philosophy of Jesus Christ. He's the One who
taught the truth about being eternally rich through
giving rather than getting. About serving others
rather than ripping them off by looking out for
number one. About surrendering rights rather than
seizing control. About limiting your liberty out of
love and saying "No" when the flesh pleads for
"Yes." You know - the whole package wrapped up in
one simple statement.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously, and he will give you
everything you need. Matthew 6:33
No elaborate set of statues. No
sculptures done in marble - not even an epitaph for the
world to read. And when He died nobody cared
because they were too busy building their own
monuments. We still are. [Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org.]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Matthew 6:33 - Put Jesus First and All These
Things Will Be Added.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201002-0935.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
