Seek Ye First the Kingdom
Scripture: Matthew 6:33Devotional Series: Money: Not the Root of All Evil
Teaching: Money: Not The Root Of All Evil pt. 3 (WED 2024-10-02) by Pastor Star R Scott
God will bless us, and with His blessings—if we’re not careful, if we lack character—we can allow the blessings of God to spark covetousness in our lives. Now think about that. You may not be covetous right now. You may not have that working in you, but get a little bit of stuff and see whether you want to hold onto it or not. Amen? Now, it’s not just wealthy people that are covetous. Poor people covet just as much as—if not more than—rich people. To covet just means to have a strong desire. It’s a passion. In 1 Timothy, Chapter 6, Timothy talks about those that are seeking or wanting to be rich. It’s talking about a passion that’s driving them.
The words for “covetousness” in the Scriptures are very interesting. I’m a little ahead of myself, but we’ll look at it since we’re here, and it’s interesting that Jesus says in Luke 12, verse 15, He’s telling us to take heed of ourselves, to beware, to be on guard, to protect your own hearts against covetousness. Now, that’s quite an admonition. Put that in line with what Jesus told us concerning the rich. He said, “It’s a difficult thing for a rich man to get into heaven.” And we said that’s a concern to every one of us, because every person in this room is rich. The Bible is very clear on its definition of “rich” and “poor.” There are people in here that—until we looked in the Scriptures—thought we were poor at one time. The biblical definition of the word “poor” is in reference to those who are in abject poverty, who have no idea where their next meal is coming from, because—remember what the Bible says—“having food and raiment, be” what?—“content” (1 Timothy 6:8). Having food and raiment, be content. So, we see this is lining up with the heart and mind of God.
The Bible says “Take no thought for the morrow what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink” (Matthew 6:25, 6:31, 6:34, 10:19, Luke 12:22); amen? The Scripture tells us, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all of these things” that pertain to living, housing, clothing, food will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). If you do what?—seek first the kingdom of God. We don’t seek riches, we seek the kingdom of God, and He sees to it that all of our needs are met. Now, what about when God doesn’t meet our needs the way we think we should be treated? “I’m better than this. I deserve more abundance than this. That guy’s got money, and I’m better than him, why don’t I have more money?”
You see what happens in the evil hearts of men? It’s very clear. The psalmist said, “I was just torn apart. My mind was being overcome. I was becoming bitter. I was confused. Why did the wicked prosper and the good people seem to sometimes suffer even more than the bad people?” Psalms 73:2-16. Then he goes on to say, “And then I went into the house of the Lord”; amen? And what’s the great truth we learn out of that passage? “And then I went into the house of the Lord, and He gave me a glimpse into the future” (Psalms 73:17-19). The future day of judgement. Let me tell you something. God is just, and there’s going to be a day when everybody gets justice. Now, the one thing we know is we don’t want justice from God; we want mercy. How many of you want what you deserve? I sure don’t want what I deserve.
The words for “covetousness” in the Scriptures are very interesting. I’m a little ahead of myself, but we’ll look at it since we’re here, and it’s interesting that Jesus says in Luke 12, verse 15, He’s telling us to take heed of ourselves, to beware, to be on guard, to protect your own hearts against covetousness. Now, that’s quite an admonition. Put that in line with what Jesus told us concerning the rich. He said, “It’s a difficult thing for a rich man to get into heaven.” And we said that’s a concern to every one of us, because every person in this room is rich. The Bible is very clear on its definition of “rich” and “poor.” There are people in here that—until we looked in the Scriptures—thought we were poor at one time. The biblical definition of the word “poor” is in reference to those who are in abject poverty, who have no idea where their next meal is coming from, because—remember what the Bible says—“having food and raiment, be” what?—“content” (1 Timothy 6:8). Having food and raiment, be content. So, we see this is lining up with the heart and mind of God.
The Bible says “Take no thought for the morrow what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink” (Matthew 6:25, 6:31, 6:34, 10:19, Luke 12:22); amen? The Scripture tells us, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all of these things” that pertain to living, housing, clothing, food will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). If you do what?—seek first the kingdom of God. We don’t seek riches, we seek the kingdom of God, and He sees to it that all of our needs are met. Now, what about when God doesn’t meet our needs the way we think we should be treated? “I’m better than this. I deserve more abundance than this. That guy’s got money, and I’m better than him, why don’t I have more money?”
You see what happens in the evil hearts of men? It’s very clear. The psalmist said, “I was just torn apart. My mind was being overcome. I was becoming bitter. I was confused. Why did the wicked prosper and the good people seem to sometimes suffer even more than the bad people?” Psalms 73:2-16. Then he goes on to say, “And then I went into the house of the Lord”; amen? And what’s the great truth we learn out of that passage? “And then I went into the house of the Lord, and He gave me a glimpse into the future” (Psalms 73:17-19). The future day of judgement. Let me tell you something. God is just, and there’s going to be a day when everybody gets justice. Now, the one thing we know is we don’t want justice from God; we want mercy. How many of you want what you deserve? I sure don’t want what I deserve.