In Sunday’s sermon, we considered Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

In closing, I asked each of us to consider the question: “How do I need to restructure my life so that I am seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness more than all else?”

We need food, drink, clothing, and shelter. Our Lord acknowledges that. But He assures us that “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

But we who have come to faith in Christ are not to be like “the Gentiles” – that is, the unbelievers, those who do not know God as Father. Such people logically seek first such necessities. Not so us. If our Father loves us, if He is the sovereign Creator, if He governs the world and feeds the birds and clothes the flowers – these necessities should not be our focus. Much less should the provision of food, clothing, housing, and cars far beyond the level of necessity be our focus. Instead, we must focus on becoming what He intends us to be, on fulfilling His plan for this world.

Over the past year we have developed resources to help us do just that. We desire each person to grow as a disciple; these resources are intended to help us nurture such growth.

Seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness is growing as a disciple. Such growth has three dimensions, which we can summarize as knowing, being, and doing:

• Knowing: God, His Word, and His plan for all nations
• Being: Conformed to the image of His Son
• Doing: Glorifying God through life and ministry

We encourage all to read the details of these dimensions here, and to identify components to focus on in the months ahead. We encourage you to spur one another on through partnering with others at DGCC or at likeminded area churches through focusing together on certain components: Reading and discussing a book together, sharing the Gospel together, discipling a new believer together. We pray that in this way we may fulfill Ephesians 4:15-16:

We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

This does take a commitment of time. No question. Knowing God, being conformed to His Son’s image, and glorifying God in our lives, of necessity require time and energy.

But Jesus says: This is what is most important. This is what is most rewarding. This is what will bring you the greatest joy and the deepest fulfillment. This is what will bring about the greatest accomplishment of all time.

So may we have the wisdom, the courage, and the determination to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first, and to trust Him to give us whatever we need to fulfill His purposes.