Seek First the Kingdom of God

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This verse ties in with the one in Jesus’ temptation in the desert.

Matthew 4:3-4

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ‘ ”

This idea which is repeated over and over in the whole Bible is followers are to be dependent on God first, not accepting other options to provide one’s needs.   The idea being that God will provide the best solution, and that other solutions are inferior to varying degrees.

John 10:10

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Living by Faith

 Matthew 4:11 – Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Not knowing the future is just a basic feature of walking in the spirit.  It’s a situation where things can’t be planned.   They just happen and there’s a side of you that didn’t believe they would happen.

Good and Bad Fruit and Disfellowship

Matthew 7:17-20

17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

The bible says here and in other parts of the gospels, that bad fruit, which is people who are disfellowshipped, will not gain salvation dying in that state.  Of course, though, myself, I disagree with traditional ideas of hell, seeing it as a type of purgatory (when examining Bible translations, motives of certain church officials).  Otherwise, the whole situation is simply inhuman and not consistent with God’s nature.

Anyway, this verse seems to be mostly addressing false prophets but really is addressing anyone sinning against God (to the degree of disfellowship).   That’s what’s seen if you compare it to the rest of Jesus’ sayings.

Good Fruit and Bad Fruit

Matthew 7:17-20

17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Of course, though, you can’t always judge a book by its cover.  In fact, in other verses, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for not seeing the change of heart in groups traditionally thought of as sinful, like tax collectors.

Matthew 21:31

Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you; the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

But how do we reconcile these opposing sections?  Well, the tax collectors like Zaccheus really did have a change of heart expressing good fruit.   In that case, he was producing good fruit, and the same idea applies elsewhere.

Luke 19:1-10

(verse 1) Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

Victims of Satan?

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

There are tons of behavior we don’t like in people, but we might fail to consider that they are victimized by Satan, just as we are.  In fact, he is whispering in their ears causing them to be snooty, greedy, lustful, selfish, whatever the sin you can think of.

But we can’t say sin is given a free pass, just because people are strategically tempted by it, and they fall for it, right?

No, that’s not the case, but we need to be sensitive to the idea that other people are only human and are tempted as much as you are!

Matthew 7:1

Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

Family First, Not Always

Matthew 10:34

Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

A good relationship with your family is something honored in the Bible.  In fact, one of the ten commandments is to honor your father and mother, so what is Jesus saying here?

Well, honoring your family doesn’t include bowing down to toxic elements in it; it doesn’t include bowing down to things that separate you from God’s teachings.

And what I am saying here seems to be more about the perspective of the son or daughter, but also the parents can be blinded by their love of their children.  For instance, they might be hesitant to strongly correct a child, out of love for the child.

Also, another thing can be race, nation and tribe.  People might be so in love with their own culture that it becomes a hindrance to the gospel.  For instance, the church they go to might be all about “their people” and that would alienate those on the outside.

Of course, that’s not saying one cannot appreciate their own culture, but well, you get the point.

Praying Behind Closed Doors etc..

Matthew 6:3-4

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

(verse 4) so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:5

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

Why might this stuff being done in public, too much, be wrong?

Well, some of the Pharisees were convinced of their own righteousness, yet such righteousness was, indeed, not righteousness.   They were self-deceived and so, in that case, disfellowshipped from God.

John 8:44

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Well, this self-deception is not something me or you cannot easily also obtain.  We need to be on-guard against it.  It is a product of not truly walking in the light.

 

Two Sides to Every Story

Sometimes there are two legit sides to a story.  In other cases, there is only one legit side, and that side is not the one who is complaining!   Anyway, we need to be careful when listening to an account of wrongdoing.   Well, we need to take into consideration God’s word and, again, we need to consider what was said in this blog post.

Well, what might bias someone to thinking the person telling the story is the partial or full victim?  I’d say it would be because we like the victim and/or the story he/she is telling.

The Work for Spiritual Food

John 6:27

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.

But of course, we need food to eat, right?  In that case, what is the real meaning here?  Well, this is a repeat of the next verse:

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The idea being that we should seek God first and then he will provide our needs.

Matthew 7:9-11

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

However, in your humanness, we seek to take action, before asking God.  For instance, maybe we would seek a good job, but then the job fails because we never really asked God about it to begin with.

Who is the music for?

  • Psalm 150:1-6: “Praise God with various musical instruments and dance.”

Is it for the people?  Is it for God?  Is it for your own glory?  The last answer isn’t a good one if you’re a Christian.

Anyway, though, we are all human and we want to be appreciated for our efforts, but when does it become idolatry?  When does it become something a bit off, something that changes who you are, for the bad?

How can one keep the music or whatever else from becoming something that is about expanding your ego, but not giving?

Well, the Bible would say that someone truly walking in the light wouldn’t stumble into this problem too seriously.