Bible League: Living His Word Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.There is nothing wrong with seeking food, or drink, or clothing. Jesus himself says the heavenly father knows we need them. The trouble comes when we focus our lives around the seeking of food, drink, clothing, and any other creaturely thing. The trouble comes when we get so anxious about having these things that we make them our first priority. When we make the acquisition of things our first priority we run into the Solomon problem. The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes tells us that King Solomon searched high and low for meaning in life by acquiring as much of everything as he could. What did he find? He found that "all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:11). When the acquisition of creaturely things is set up as the be-all and end-all of life it quickly loses its luster. The mere acquisition of things fails to satisfy the human quest for ultimate meaning and purpose. Over and above the acquisition of things, but not apart from them, is the true meaning and purpose of life---seeking the Kingdom of God. What does it mean to seek the kingdom? It means to enter the kingdom and its righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ and it means to advance and develop the kingdom by serving the King in every area of life---including the acquisition of creaturely things. After all, you would not be much help to the King if you were naked and starving. It is, therefore, a question of priorities. Do you seek these things for their own sake, or do you seek them in service to the King? If it's the first, then these things will never truly satisfy your quest for meaning. If it's the second, then they will not have to satisfy your quest, because you will have already found the true source of meaning and purpose. And there's a bonus for seeking the Kingdom first. You get what you need as part of the package. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingNumbers 32, 33 Numbers 32 -- Reubenites and Gadites Settle in Gilead NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Numbers 33 -- Summary of Israel's Journey NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 10:1-31 Mark 10 -- Divorce; Let the little children; Rich Young Ruler; Jesus Predicts His Death; James and John's Request; Blind Bart NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion For he issued his laws to Jacob;he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, Insight God commanded that the stories of his mighty acts in Israel's history—and his laws—be passed on from parents to children. This shows the purpose and importance of religious education: to help each generation obey God and set its hope on him. It is important to keep children from repeating the same mistakes as their ancestors. Challenge What are you doing to pass on the history of God's work to the next generation? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 36:8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house.Sheba's queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of Solomon's table. She lost all heart when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But what is this to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten thousand thousand of his people are daily fed; hungry and thirsty, they bring large appetites with them to the banquet, but not one of them returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore. Though the host that feed at Jehovah's table is countless as the stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of meat. Think how much grace one saint requires, so much that nothing but the Infinite could supply him for one day; and yet the Lord spreads his table, not for one, but many saints, not for one day, but for many years; not for many years only, but for generation after generation. Observe the full feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at mercy's banquet are satisfied, nay, more "abundantly satisfied;" and that not with ordinary fare, but with fatness, the peculiar fatness of God's own house; and such feasting is guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of men who put their trust under the shadow of Jehovah's wings. I once thought if I might but get the broken meat at God's back door of grace I should be satisfied; like the woman who said, "The dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master's table;" but no child of God is ever served with scraps and leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the king's own table. In matters of grace, we all have Benjamin's mess--we all have ten times more than we could have expected, and though our necessities are great, yet are we often amazed at the marvellous plenty of grace which God gives us experimentally to enjoy. Daily Light on the Daily Path Genesis 49:15 "When he saw that a resting place was good And that the land was pleasant, He bowed his shoulder to bear burdens, And became a slave at forced labor.James 5:10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Job 2:10 But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent. 1 Samuel 3:18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him." Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Isaiah 53:4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. • "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. • "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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