Seek Ye First (Part 2)

"But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," (Matthew 6:33).

In a previous article we looked into the Word of God to see why we are to seek the Kingdom first in various aspects of our lives. Let us now return to this verse and the rest of the Scriptures to see how we can apply this verse in specific situations in our lives.

Seeking the Kingdom at work or at school. If we are going to be successful in seeking the Kingdom in these two venues of our lives, we are going to have to apply both parts of Romans 12:2. We first must make sure that we do not conform to the world-- in this circumstance, not conform to general attitudes at work or at school. If our fellow employees have foul mouths and constantly speak of sinful and/or inappropriate topics, should we just go along with the crowd or do all we can to avoid such chatter? If we are called upon to perform some task that would violate our conscience as a Christian, will we stand up and choose God over men and trust in God or not make any waves? In the school environment, will we stand against the false teachings often presented and avoid those students who think drugs and sex are the way to go? We can begin doing well by not taking part in the works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11).

The second part is the transformation by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). Do we make work the first priority in life or spiritual matters? Do we try to make sure that our employers know when we assemble with the brethren and take every available opportunity to be with the saints? Do we take opportunities inschool or at work to speak of our faith to others? As long as we continue to stand firm in the first part and demonstrating our faith by our works of righteousness, such will lead to discussions and will lead to opportunities for us to tell others of our faith. Will we take these opportunities or show that we are ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17)?

Seeking the Kingdom in the home. In our last edition we demonstrated that no matter what a parent says when it comes to how important spiritual things are, children learn by the actions of the parent. Are our words matching your actions? What do we think we are teaching our children if we say that spiritual things are important but then will choose sports, family events, the "sniffles", and a host of other events over assembling with the saints? We teach our child that sports, family, etc. are more important than spiritual things, and the consequences may last a long time. Likewise, do we seek out other opportunities to be with the brethren? Do our children have the feeling that the church is a part of their family? Do they see us helping those who are in need, both within and without the fold, and making good spiritual decisions in life? Children will follow their parents: what will they be following when they follow us? Proverbs 22:6 establishes that if you teach your child the way they should go, they will not depart from it when they are old. What are you teaching them?

We have spent some time looking into Matthew 6:33 and how to apply this important message in our lives. We must seek the Kingdom of Heaven by faith and have every confidence that when we trust in God, He will take care of us. God has been faithful; let us be faithful to Him!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

Thankfulness

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV).

Paul here presents a rather strong command for us to give thanks-- why would he say that giving thanks is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us?

Perhaps part of the reason for this command is when we consider all that God has done for us we recognize how trivial our problems really are and we can find it easier to maintain a humble attitude, realizing that we did not gain great things by our own hand but rather all things from the hand of God.

Consider how Israel did not have this attitude of thankfulness in the wilderness. They did not seem to remember how God delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh, and therefore at every opportunity they rebelled against God. We are told in 1 Corinthians 10:1-7 to consider their example so that we do not fall into the same trap of unbelief. Let us bless God for all He has done for us!

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

Please click here to return to the 2006 archive of Good News for Norwalk, or click here to return to the main page of Good News for Norwalk. Thanks!