Seek First the Kingdom
From a young age, the world drills into us the message “work hard and make a living.” Most people have unquestioningly accepted that mindset, but it reinforces self-reliance instead of reliance on God. When we struggle with the double-edged sword of trying to live up to the world’s standards or face condemnation, we miss out on God’s promises to us. His plan for us includes prosperity and abundance, but the Scriptures teach us to trust Him and seek Him first.
What we focus on can either bring good or evil.
Spiritually, having a single-minded vision of God fills us with light (Matthew 6:22, 23).
Taking our focus off God and striving to be rich first is evil (Proverbs 28:22).
If we split our focus and try to get rich while trying to focus on God at the same time, we will be full of darkness.
We may not be able to stop thoughts fleetingly passing through our minds, but we can examine them and bring them into captivity (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5).
We can train ourselves to cast out the thoughts that do not conform to God’s will, and actively focus on those that do.
Thoughts contrary to God’s Word divide our attention, and we cannot accomplish our goal if our attention is divided.
We should also beware of a divided heart, which comes from trying to trust in ourselves and in God simultaneously.
God’s priorities and the world’s are different.
We need to keep our priorities in order: God first, followed by everything else after (Matthew 6:33).
When we do this, everything else we want will show up in our lives.
What we think in our hearts determines what we say, do, and believe (Proverbs 23:7).
It is not about money, it is about trust. In whom, or what, do we trust?
The love of money is the root of all evil. The love of money is having the wrong kind of relationship with it.
All of us think about money, but some people need to let their minds be changed and renewed in this area (Romans 12:2).
We must think soberly about it. Sober thinking lines up with God’s will.
Do not think that we should not labor—it is good to work (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
However, we should remember the real reason why we work: to have what is needed to give and help others.
Our focus should be on others, not ourselves (Ephesians 4:28).
Trust activates God’s promises.
The Scriptures tell us to give and it will be given back to us abundantly. We can substitute the word “trust” for “give” (Luke 6:38).
Joseph was a good example of someone who trusted God. He gave constantly, and God took care of him.
Joseph gave to Potiphar, to the jailer, and the pharaoh of Egypt. Because he was a blessing to others, God blessed him accordingly.
Prosperity is not about “stuff,” it is about how much flows through us to bless others.
God evaluates our prosperity by how much of a blessing we are to others.
God promised prosperity to Abram (Genesis 12:1-3).
The blessing was the instrument of His favor.
He blessed Abram because of Abram’s trust in Him. Because of that, God gave Abram what he wanted most—a son (Genesis 15:1-4).
God can make it happen.
He can make over-the-top blessings come to us so that we will not need aid or support from any other source (2 Corinthians 9:8, AMP).
We will have everything we need for every good work and charitable donation.
Giving of our first fruits honors God, and gives Him priority (Proverbs 3:9, AMP).
This makes Him more valuable than our substance.
God promises we will see an increase when we do this.
We should not let our relationship with money get in the way of our relationship with God.
Scripture References
Matthew 6:22, 23, 33
Proverbs 28:22
2 Corinthians 10:4, 5
Proverbs 23:7
Romans 12:1-4
2 Thessalonians 3:10
Ephesians 4:28
Luke 6:38
Genesis 12:1, 2
Genesis 39:2, AMP
2 Corinthians 9:8, AMP
Proverbs 3:9, 10
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