Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In this account Jesus says that the nations chase after riches and wealth but the disciples are not to do this but are to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and He will add to them what they need.
Many have taken this scripture and applied law to it’s outworking. It goes like this: I must make sure my speech and actions are holy and righteous; I must eliminate any hidden sin from my lifestyle otherwise it will block the channels of God’s provision; and I must spend prolonged periods of time in prayer seeking God’s purpose for me in His Kingdom.
This approach puts the emphasis for God’s provision upon us and what we have to do and if things don’t work out we must have made a mistake, missed God’s intentions for our life.
But when we pass this scripture through the cross we see that it is fulfilled ‘In Christ’:
1) When we became born again, God gave us the gift of righteousness (Rom 5:17). We did not have to earn it or work for it, we simply received it when we invited Christ into our lives. We are now the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21)
2) When we became born again we were born into the Kingdom of God (Jn 3:3,5) Everything in the Kingdom is righteous (Rom 14:17) which is why God gave us His righteousness; without it we couldn’t get in.
We sought first God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness and now we have them both. Therefore, when we need God’s provision, we ask Him for what we need and then stand in His righteousness and trust Him to meet that need. This puts the emphasis on God to meet our need. Hence when He does, He receives the honour and glory.
Meditation Point: Father, teach me how to stand in your righteousness and trust you to provide for me.
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