«But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well» (Matthew 6:33, NIV).
“THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY WORDS that have ever been heard.» That is I what Oswald Chambers calls the portion of the Sermon on the Mount that today’s verse refers to.
According to Chambers, the natural impulse of human beings is to first seek to satisfy their physical needs—food, drink, clothing—, and then all the rest. But in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus reverses that order. He basically says, «Make sure your relationship with God comes first, and trust that you will lack nothing. It does not seem to make sense, right? However. . .
That was exactly what a young mother, named Patti, did at a critical moment in her life. According to what Charles Colson tells us, during a religious service, Patti stood up and spoke to the congregation. Because she and her husband had had a baby, everyone in attendance thought she would make use of the occasion to thank God for the child. But none of that happened.
What did Patti tell them? That just that week, four years earlier, she was alone in an apartment when she found out she was pregnant. Although she considered herself a Christian, she was actually «living in two worlds.» On the one hand, she was doing drugs and sleeping with a man who was not her husband; on the other, she was attending church and witnessing.
Then Patti had to make a choice. Would she confess her sin? Get an abortion? Patti says that that night, while looking at the stars, she thought that if she really believed in Christ, she should not have an abortion. Then, she made her choice: «I decided to put my trust in the God of the Bible,» she said. Although her situation was very uncertain—she was alone and pregnant, abandoned by her family and rejected by the man she loved—; she says that for the first time in her life she felt true peace, because she knew she was doing God’s will.
Patti confessed her sin to God and the church. With the help of several Christian friends, she moved and started a new life. When the baby was born, she gave it up for adoption to a Christian couple who had no children. Then the Lord blessed her with a believing husband and a new baby. «That is why I praise the Lord’s name this evening,» she said, «because I finally have what I truly longed for: God’s peace.»
It was after Patti sought first the kingdom of God, when everything else was added to her. It seems «revolutionary,» right? Yes, but that is because «we walk by faith, not by sight» (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Lord Jesus, today I want to give You first place in my heart; please help me to firmly believe that I will lack nothing while You are leading in my life.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
