“Rob not the poor, because he is poor: Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, And spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. Make no friendship with an angry man; And with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul. Be not thou one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. If thou hast nothing to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.”
Proverbs 22:22-29 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.22.22-29.KJV
First Things First
There are plenty of things in life that beg for our attention. Our days are filled with relationships and responsibilities, all of which take time.
In Jesus’ famous sermon in Matthew 6, He spends some time talking about the various things we give our attention to. He explains that instead of spending all of our time and energy worrying about our basic need and desires in life, we should first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
So, what does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness?
God’s kingdom is about God’s rule and reign over all of creation. His kingdom was unleashed during Jesus’ ministry on earth, and is now growing and expanding throughout the global Church. The work of the kingdom is to continue to tell others about the hope of Jesus, and to teach everything that Jesus has commanded.
To seek God’s righteousness is to desire to live the way God intended. It's to live according to God’s...