“But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
Jesus was delivering one of His first sermons to a large crowd that followed Him. For Him, it was very easy to see what was in every heart. Jesus was behaving like a doctor attending to a patient, warning him to be careful of his eating habits and recommending what can’t eat. However, he also tells him the food that he needs to include in his daily diet. Looking at His disciples, as one body, Jesus sees what is affecting them and how to get rid of the negative influences in their lives. At the same time, He tells them how they must be persistent in getting the right medication for any thing they might need.
“You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24b). When Jesus talks about riches as a master, He means that some people make money their idol. They bow down before it and worship it. Someone once said, “Money is a good servant, but a horrible master.” It is true that God created the ability to make wealth, but an insatiable desire in man to have more than he needs, led him to fall in the trap left by Satan. That desire opened the door to the demon of greed. No demon will ever be satisfied; no matter how much money you may have, nothing will ever satisfy it. However, those who serve the Lord can enjoy a balanced life where the Lord is committed to supply any need that His children may have. He will bless them and provide for them according to His riches in glory.
“Do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25). Jesus uses birds as an example. They are free of anxieties, because they always have the provisions that come from above. All the attention that we may give to material things is only temporary. Apart from our physical bodies, we have a spiritual nature that is eternal. The teaching that the Lord gives to His disciples is that they have to put their priorities in order. The first priority lies with spiritual things, because if we put these things first, everything else will come as a blessing from God.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). If anyone is worried about what others are doing, they will not be able to focus on the main priority. To judge others brings divine judgment, for example, to be critical of others prepares the way for others to do the same for you. Every believer should examine his life everyday, without taking their eyes off of Jesus. When Peter walked on the water, he was able to move forward while looking directly into the eyes of Jesus. However, the moment he took his eye off Jesus, he began to sink. When Peter asked the Lord about the John’s future, Jesus answered him, “That is something of no interest to you; you follow Me.” This simple principle is the foundation to raise a solid and lasting ministry.
“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). The Lord wants His disciples to learn to conquer everything by faith. Anybody who wishes to benefit from God, must first conquer in prayer. Then, they must act, believing that the Lord has already given them the answer. God has more to give to us than we can ask of Him. Anything that we may wish for can be conquered by faith through prayer, knowing that without faith it is impossible to please God.
“Enter through the narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13). The door that leads to abundant life is so narrow that only one of our three natures fits through it. Our spiritual nature, newly born by faith in Jesus is the only nature that is able to enter in through the door of abundance; both the flesh and the soul must remain outside. We must make every effort for this to happen. We must also understand that this door means walking into total dependence on Jesus. Just as the great majority of the doors are made of wood, we must begin by entering through the revelation of the Cross in order for the glory of God to be revealed in our lives. After going through this process, Paul said that we had to imitate Christ.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Will Rich, one of the founders of the company, Chase and Senborn, became an extremely wealthy man. Every morning his shoes were shined by an Italian boy who went by the name of Toni. One day Rich asked Toni:
– “If I could do anything for you, what is it that you would like?”
– “I would like to go to college to study medicine; but I can’t because I have to work to support my mother.”
– “What about if I give you the necessary money for you to support your mother and pay your expenses until you became a doctor?”
– “I don’t think you are going to do it,” the boy answered with an incredulous smile.
– To which replied, “I’ll sure do it, Toni.”
Rich kept his promise. Fifteen years later a young doctor knocked at the door of his office in Boston and delivered to him a check for all the money he had invested in his studies.
– “I never expected you to give me the money back. So take it, and when you have more money look for another boy and send him to school.”
That’s how it happened. The boy Toni sent to school became a specialist in tropical diseases. During the Second World War he was distinguished for his service in the army in the South Pacific arena. Because of this, he was given a great number of medals. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing how each one of our dreams is fulfilled. But the greatest satisfaction is to be a part of the fulfillment of God’s dreams for mankind.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“When I entered through the door, which is the Cross of Jesus, God’s glory was revealed in my life.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Four.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
Our Bible Reading Plan gives 25 daily readings per month. There is no scheduled reading for today. You can use this time to catch up on any readings you may have missed, or read through previous passages again.
