In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Coming from this reassuring passage of scripture, our theme for the year is “Caring for the Kingdom.” Our elders have chosen this theme to remind us to care for and about His kingdom above everything else. But why should we care?
We should care about His kingdom so that God will care for us. If we focus on God, and the church, then “all these things will be added to you.” God will take care of our needs if we “seek first His kingdom.”
We should care about His kingdom to eliminate worry. Jesus’ instruction before and after this verse is, “Do not worry” (Matthew 6:31, 34). It is natural for people to focus their attention and even to become consumed by daily needs and material things. However, we do not need to worry if we focus on God and care more about His kingdom than anything else.
We should care about His kingdom to stand out from the world. In Matthew 6:32, Jesus teaches that those who do not know God care more about physical than spiritual things. As Christians, our focus on the kingdom, our worry-free life, and our trust in God should continually remind us that we belong to Him.
Matt Langfield