This week in our Luke series, we are focussing on Luke 12:13-34, where the theme is our relationship to wealth. Today, we reflect on what it means to seek first the Kingdom of God.
‘“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”’ (Luke 12:31-34)
‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33)
Lesson: To ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness’ means that we are to seek to know God and do His will as our priority, and regardless of the financial implications.
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I wonder what you ‘seek first’ in your life? How do we know what we seek first? A very good pointer as to what we seek first in how we use our time - what we spend our time on, or use our time dreaming of, reveals what’s in the heart. Added to this, a very good indicator as to what one seeks first, is what we use our money on.
Jesus commands us, ‘But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness’ instead of seeking our material needs first. What does this mean?
To ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness’ means that we are to seek to know God and do His will as our priority, and regardless of the financial implications. This involves a number of things:
i. The work we do: It means that we seek to do work that is righteous. We will not take a job that is against God’s values or against our own consciences, no matter the pay and respect it may give. It may mean that we don’t work or take reduced hours if, for example, we choose to be a stay-at-home mum or seek to volunteer in some way.
ii. How we do our work: It means that we work righteously. Whether it’s paid or unpaid, we do the hidden things as well as the visible. We do the hours. We don’t take cash in order to avoid tax etc. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, learned a philosophy on carpentry from his dad that He applied to his computers:
‘A great carpenter, wouldn’t use an ugly piece of wood, even on the back of a drawer. Even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.’ (Steve Jobs)
iii. Mission through work: It means that we are ready to share our faith as we saw in the previous, and linked section, where we are promised:
‘“…Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”’ (Luke 12:11-12)
Our vocation, where we spend so much of our time, is to be our ‘mission-field’. Someone once said, ‘We are the bible that most read’ and this is certainly true in our workplace. I love this question from John Lennox:
'Doing our work as unto the Lord will therefore mean, not only doing it with integrity to the best of our ability but will mean having a responsibility to prayerfully look for opportunities to witness to our fellow employees/workers/ colleagues, as and when we can credibly do so...When was the last time you and I went to work with an active sense that the Lord was sending us there? (Lennox, John C.. A Good Return: Biblical Principles for Work, Wealth and Wisdom)
iv. The purpose of work: It means that we understand work, primarily, as a place to serve God rather than a necessary evil that gets in the way of serving God in some way. Working is a part of human identity, as we see in the way God speaks about the seven-day week with six of the days being given over to work.
v. Stewardship of income: It means that we understand that our income is to be used in serving God. It’s to be used to meet our needs, but also it is to used to build the church and serve others through generosity.
vi. Balance of hard work and rest: It means that we will work hard but also rest well. To seek the Kingdom will mean that we rest and do not allow work to enslave us. Christians, should ‘work hard’ to get enough rest! Jesus says of Himself,
‘“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”’ (Matthew 11: 28-30)
So, anyone who truly seeks God’s Kingdom in how they work will do all they can to have a balance of work and rest.
Response
Are we, through distraction, pressure, greed, selfish ambition or fear, seeking wealth first? God calls you and I to ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, [and trust that] all these things will be given to you as well.’ In our work - and I include the retired, those looking for work, and stay-at-home mums - are we seeking to know God and do His will? Is this our dominating reason for our work, and whatever we do? Will we put God first in all our ambitions and decisions? Do we represent Jesus well, in the way we work, rest and live out our days?
COMMUNITY GROUP NOTES AND STUDY
There are no groups this week due to our week of prayer. Please look at Church News or contact the church office for details.
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