Together in Christ: 'What We Truly Seek' — Matthew 6:31-33

Monday, July 1, 2024

Your Support Matters!

Your donations are vital to help us keep the light shining.

Donate Now

[Jesus emphasized the following truth to his disciples,] "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

— Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

Key Thought

Decades ago, in my early formative years, a brother in Christ told a group of us in a class, "What your heart passionately pursues, your life follows like a heat-seeking missile!" He used our verses for today as he taught about seeking God above all else. I approached him after his lesson. He emphasized that this truth was absolute. However, he warned that we could fool ourselves into thinking we are pursuing God while allowing our hearts to focus on lesser things. He then quoted this proverb:

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. [1]

Jesus' promise in our verses today emphatically expands on the truth of the proverb. Our passion must be to guard our hearts by seeking God's Kingdom and pursuing God's righteousness in our lives above all other distractions, pursuits, or goals. Then, the course of our lives will be determined by our trust in God. When we only talk about seeking God and His Kingdom first, we deceive ourselves and allow sinful distractions and selfish ambitions to derail our hearts. When we allow lesser pursuits to distract our hearts, then our lives follow those distractions, and we self-negate God's promise. Our lives follow what our hearts seek most passionately.

Let's ask for the Holy Spirit to help us become like Jesus and pursue God's will above our own. [2] Let's seek to discover and fulfill God's direction for our lives and not just a bunch of selfish and fleeting distractions! God longs to bless us with what blesses us now and endures through eternity!

[1] Proverbs 4:23.
[2] 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Ephesians 5:15-17.

Today's Prayer

Cleanse my heart, O, God! Purify my desires and align them with Your will and way in my life. I need the help of the Holy Spirit as I pursue becoming like my Lord Jesus, Who chose Your will and not His own. Father, I want to pursue You and Your Kingdom with all my heart. I don't want distractions and selfishness to derail my heart's pursuit of You and Your glory. In Jesus' name, I make this commitment and prayer. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Romans 8:24-39
  • Mark 14:32-36

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Monday, July 1, 2024

A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
"Dear Disciple, When James wrote about wisdom and peace, he used terms whose meanings were rooted in what you call the Old Testament — The Law,...."
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
"By this I know that You favor and delight in me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me."
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
"Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a...."
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
"For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to..."

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 6:31-33 NLT — [Jesus emphasized the following truth to his disciples,] "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.