In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Jesus is preaching during His sermon on the mount and teaching that God’s Kingdom, which we know as the church, should be more important in our lives than anything else. From this powerful verse, our elders have chosen our theme for the coming new year, “Caring for the Kingdom.”
Caring for the Kingdom means being an active and involved member of the church. The church needs to be a bigger part of our lives than just gathering together for worship a handful of times each week. We all need to be concerned, invested, and participate daily as citizens in God’s Kingdom.
Caring for the Kingdom means being concerned about others. Jesus does not instruct us to focus solely on ourselves or our spiritual welfare but instead on “His kingdom.” As members of the church, all of us are individual members of the body of Christ, and as Christians, we are all fellow citizens in God’s kingdom. Therefore, we should be continually concerned about the welfare of others.
Caring for the Kingdom means being cared for by others. One of the greatest blessings of being a member of the church and citizen in God’s spiritual kingdom is that others are concerned about us. We must remember that others are praying for us, that others share God’s love with us, and that elders are responsible to shepherd us spiritually.
In the coming year, we will strive to better understand and practice what it means to “seek first His kingdom.”
Matt Langfield