“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31–33, KJV)
There are 4 principles that we must understand:
1. We always worry about what we need and want.
2. We always say what we need and want.
3. We always look for what we need and want.
4. We always pursue what we need and want.
Often, we always think about our needs and wants. If these two things are not fulfilled, anxiety arises. What shall I eat? Tomorrow is the last day to pay my son’s school tuition, where do I get the money? Often, these are the questions that arise in our minds, and many other questions that arise and weaken us. Notice, what we worry about, seek, and pursue the most shows what we need and want the most. In that case, what should we worry about, seek and pursue?
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 7–14, KJV)
Look at verse 10: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
What Paul needed and wanted the most was Christ, that’s why he pursued Him in such a way. We must reach a level like Paul, where we know and feel that what we need most is Christ, what we want and long for the most is Christ so that what we worry about, seek and pursue is Christ. Moreover, Matthew 6:33 says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
How many Christians say to God: “Lord, I want this, I want that,” as if they were saying to God: “Lord, I want everything in the world except You.” How hurt is God when He hears every prayer from Christians like that. They listed all their needs. Do all Christians not come to God with 100 prayer points and all of them talk about their needs? “God, I need ten million rupiahs a month, I need money to buy food, I need a watch because my watch was lost yesterday, I need money to buy a cellphone, blablabla …” However, unfortunately, they never said “God I only need You. I want to know You, know the power of Your resurrection, and I want to fellowship in Your sufferings.”
Let us pray so that our needs and wants change, not thinking about ourselves, but only seeking and pursuing Christ alone, that is the true pursuit, Amen!
Also read: Learn to Forgive from Joseph.
