February 10
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble,” Matthew 6:33-34.
Keep first things first! Most everyone would agree with those words. In the Scripture above, the Lord Jesus tells us what should come first: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” First of all, give consideration to spiritual matters. Give your attention to the needs of the soul before you give attention to the needs of the body. The call to each of us is the call of the prophet Amos to the children of Israel, “Prepare to meet your God!” Amos 4:12. Be prepared, not just for this life, but for the life after death.
In many of the verses preceding the Scripture quoted at the beginning of this devotion, the key word is “worry.” Jesus emphasizes that the almighty, gracious God takes care of the whole creation. Consider how He takes care of all the vegetation and the birds in the air. He asks the question, “Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26. Now, if God takes care of all of these things, will He not do more for you and me, His people? Thus, the Savior says, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things,” Matthew 6:31-32.
The Gentiles are the unbelievers who put no hope and trust in God. They live for the here and now. For them, this life comes first, and it is the only thing that is important. Many years ago, when I was on a study tour of the Holy Land, we asked the Minister of Religion, “Since you reject Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of all sinners, what hope do you have for life after death?” The answer was immediate and concise: “This is the only life of which you are certain! So get out of it all you can!” Today, too, many people throughout the world are living only for the here and now!
However, Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” How is this done? God’s righteousness is proclaimed in the sending of His Son, Jesus, whom He sent into this world to save us. The Savior fulfilled the Commandments in our place with His perfect life. He took all our sins upon Himself and carried them to the cross, where He washed them away with His holy, precious blood. He died and paid the price to redeem us. Then He rose from the grave and conquered sin, death, and the devil. His righteousness is offered to us in the Gospel. We are invited to put our faith and trust in Him for time and eternity.
Then, remember to trust God’s promise to provide for you the necessities of this life. He knows what you need. Don’t worry about today and tomorrow. Every day has enough problems of its own. Don’t add to the problems with your worries! With the hymn writer, we pray with reference to what should come first:
“Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which at the mercy seat of God
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me – e’en for my soul was shed.
Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.
When from the dust of death I rise,
To claim my mansion in the skies,
E’en then, this shall be all my plea:
Jesus hath lived and died for me.” Amen.