Kingdom Living

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33

DURING A TIME WHEN MOST families are struggling just to meet their monthly obligations, it’s sometimes difficult to give a part of our income to the local church. For many, mortgage payments, car payments, utility bills, and food expenditures occupy most, if not all, of the monthly budget. Yet in Matthew 6, Jesus tells us not to worry about what we’ll eat or drink or wear, but rather to put God first. Jesus is not speaking to independently wealthy stockbrokers here. He’s speaking to impoverished people for whom the next meal was a consistent worry. What does this mean?

It means that God cares about our daily needs. In fact, in the rest of the passage, Jesus outlines just how much concern He gives to the important things that keep us up at night. He cares about where we’ll find gas money and how we’ll pay for our kids’ textbooks. In fact, Jesus uses his concern for us as the basis for deeper levels of giving.

Jesus calls us to give when it hurts—giving when doing so may cause us to wonder how we’ll get by. It is this kind of generosity that fuels our faith, that forces us to our knees in dependence on God, the creator and sustainer of life. Sustained, sacrificial giving is an act of worship and an acknowledgement that Christ is a caring, providing King.

BOTTOM LINE

God wants us to trust Him with our money. This can be a great test of faith for many of us. Pray that God will help you obey Him in this area.

Moment of Strength: Matthew 6