But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

The kingdom of God = where God is king. 

Seeking His kingdom means understanding what God values (we know He values us!) and living according to these values. Essentially, we are called to think like God, something we will call Kingdom Thought.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my [Paul’s] joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:1-3)

These are the things God values—things that come from love and from the Spirit (also, see the Fruit of the Spirit—those things the Spirit produces when we abide in Him). Things like power, comfort, success, our own glory—these things the world values, and are contrary to God’s kingdom.

We learn what God values through His Word and by seeking Him in our situation. A few questions to consider:

• What is God like?
• How does God view me?
• What are the eternal impacts of my actions?

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God….But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:12,16)

3:07 pm  •  25 January 2012  •  42 notes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

This is the first of Jesus classic teaching known as the Beatitudes (from the Latin beatus = blessed, happy). Being blessed goes further than just a temporary state of happiness, but a new right-standing relationship with God because of Christ. When we are poor in spirit, we recognize our need for God—we are poor because without Him we have nothing. Likewise, those who mourn (v. 4) aren’t necessarily mourning the dead, but mourning the devastation that comes from sin, and turning to God for comfort.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus lists values that are patterns of His kingdom. His kingdom is the place where He is King, not necessarily heaven, but heaven on earth as well, in our hearts and actions.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. (Colossians 1:13)

And this is where we now stand. We are to value the qualities of the kingdom, contrary to seeking our own power, self-gratification, comfort, success, etc.—things that the world tells us to seek.

3:53 pm  •  17 January 2012  •  20 notes