The Great Concern

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Matthew 6:33

A concern for someone or something can occupy our minds but a great concern seems to consume the totally of our thinking and emotions. What occupies and consumes your mind? Are you filled with anxiety? worry? A great concern places utmost importance of someone or something, it consumes our heart and mind. Does the kingdom of God concern you?

The kingdom of God must be our primary concern. Our lives fall apart and fill with worry, anxiety, depression, and hopelessness when Jesus Christ, his glory, and his kingdom is not our Great Concern. Having a great concern for the kingdom of God and his righteousness doesn’t just happen. It is something we must seek, it must be a primary concern and of utmost importance. How much time, money, and energy do you put into the kingdom of God? Are you worrying about or seeking the details? If so realize the Bible gives us a perspective shift. No matter what situation or circumstance we must have the kingdom of God first, THEN all these things will be added to you.

When we place Jesus first, when he is our great concern it takes the focus off of ourselves. It allows us to walk in humility, to place others first, and it allows God to work out the details that often compete with Jesus to be our great concern.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6:34

Further Reading: Matthew 6

Primary Concern

“Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.” - 1 Samuel 18:12-16

What is your primary concern? What constantly occupies your mind? As you read through the book of 1 Samuel you see Saul become self focused. His primary concern becomes himself, his power, his authority, his welfare. This causes Saul to do some outrageous stuff. He destroys part of his own kingdom just to try to kill David. Saul’s primary concern was not the Lord’s honor or the people’s welfare but it was himself.

Saul clearly saw that the LORD was with David yet he still chose to fight a losing battle. He was destroying himself and his people and didn’t seem to care. He was blinded and miserable because it was all about him. He didn’t want to give up his kingship to David, he was holding onto it with all he had. I wonder if at this point in time he remembered how the LORD used Samuel to call Saul as king. How it was the LORD who made him king. Now the LORD was calling David to be king and Saul didn’t want to give it up so he took matters into his own hands.

We have a lot to learn from Saul. Let us not make the same mistake. What are you holding on so tightly that you need to “let go and let God?” Is your primary concern on God and his purposes and people? If not, ask him to help you. When we are so concerned about trivial worldly things our lives tend to be a mess. Today ask God to shift your focus to Jesus, to be reminded of the cross and to follow him wherever he leads.

Further Reading: 1 Samuel 18-24

The Ultimate Thing

“It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you - for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God - lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from the face of the earth.” - Deuteronomy 6:13-15

What is your ultimate thing? Your ultimate thing can take many forms and can be know by many names. It is your source of joy, it is what you live your life striving to please or achieve. It in essence controls you and the scary part is sometimes you don’t even realize it does.

Sorrow and despair are similar but there is a big difference between them and that is hope. Hopelessness is deeply saddening. Have you ever seen hopeless people? There is no joy, there is no life in them. There whole world is crushed and they have no were to turn or to look. This is what life is like without Jesus Christ. Apart from Christ you will ultimately enter a state of hopelessness after trying to find the ultimate thing outside of Jesus. You will eventually reach a point of despair.

You see, when you lose what you have placed as the ultimate thing in your life which is the source of your meaning or hope there is no where to turn. What you have put your faith in (if it is outside of Jesus) will always eventually let you down and leave you hopeless. Are you building your entire life on an incomplete joy of this world? You have a choice, stop! Put your hope in Jesus Christ, make Him your ultimate source of meaning and hope. You will still have sorrow but you have the Holy Spirit of God to console you and there will always be hope in Christ Jesus.

“And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” - Exodus 20:1-4

Further Reading: Deuteronomy 6 & Exodus 20