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

The phrase "all these things" in this verse refers to the things which we all need in life-food, clothing, houses, cars, money to send our children to school, etc. The Gentiles (or the unsaved nations), he said, spend their time and energy seeking after "all these things."

He said that our priorities, as followers of Jesus Christ, are to be different. We are not to seek after "all these things," but rather to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Jesus here is really making an "if-then" proposition. He says "if" we seek first the kingdom, "then" He will add all these things unto us.

He does not say that He doesn't want us to have "all these things," but He is dealing here in a matter of priorities. He is telling us that we are to have the advancement of His kingdom to be the number one priority in our lives. This begins by letting Jesus be the ruler of our lives. When we say "Yes" to Jesus Christ, we are yielding our will to Him, we are choosing to go His way, to obey His commands, to follow his leadership.

The Kingdom of God could be defined as God's realm of dominion, or the place where God rules supreme. The first question that we need to ask our self is, Does He rule supreme in my life? Am I allowing Jesus to have His way in me?"

Jesus said that we are to "seek" first the Kingdom. "Seek" is an action verb. Therefore we can easily see through our mode of living whether or not we are seeking first the Kingdom. Our actions will easily determine whether or not we are putting God first.

Do we seek Him in prayer?

Do we seek Him in His Word?

Do we seek Him regularly in the fellowship of the church?

Do we put him first in our giving or does God get the leftovers after we "seek" everything else?

These are questions that we must individually ask ourselves.

When God has His way, good things happen. Marriages are healed. Churches get on fire for God. The bars are empty. The churches are full. Young people serve the Lord. God's people prosper spirit, soul and body. Troubled minds are healed. Peace comes to troubled hearts. This is the joy of Kingdom living.

God's call to you today is to "let Him have His way." Give your heart to Jesus Christ. Let Him be Lord and Master. Believe the Gospel. He died for you, that you might live for Him. Pray this simple prayer today:

Dear God. I know I've missed it. I've gone my own way. Today I turn back to you. I confess with my mouth Jesus is my Lord. I believe in my heart You raised Him from the dead. Thank You for saving me and thank you for providing "all these things" as I put you in first place in my life.Amen.