Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I pray you have set your minds to seeking the Kingdom of God this week!
Matthew 6:33-“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Luke 17:21 “. . . the kingdom of God is within you.”
The Kingdom of God is the rule of God on the inside of us and the reign of God that is visible through our attitudes and actions.
Yesterday, we skipped through Matthew 5 in an order to attempt to flesh out what it means to seek first the Kingdom. It involves:
1. Being poor in spirit–Fully relying on God and seeking to live a life for His glory! (vs. 3)
2. Letting God inform our grief when we are mourning so that He stays in control of our future, our attitudes and our actions. (vs. 4)
3. Developing meekness (power under control) to the point where although we have power through the Holy Spirit we can choose restraint. (vs. 5)
4. Being righteous. Hungering and thirsting are inward experiences. That is where righteousness is craved and found. (vs. 6)
5. Not only restraining our outward behavior, but taking an inward posture where we release people from anger and intentionally seek peace with them. (vs. 21-26)
6. Not only restraining our physical impulses, but taking an inward posture of purity. ( vs. 27-30)
7. Keeping our promises. (vs. 31-37)
8. Blessing those who wrong us. (vs. 38-42)
9. Showing mercy. (vs. 7)
10. Being salt and light. (vs. 13-16)
11. Being pure in heart. (vs. 8) “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” This verse sums it all up. The Kingdom of GOd is the rule of God on the inside of us. When we get that right, everything listed above will fall into place as a natural pursuit and outgrowth of a singleness of heart.
May God strengthen you for your journey this week. I hope to see you Wednesday night at 6:45.
Blessings,
Pastor Melissa
