Finding Your Faith Again
One scripture verse keeps Believers going when faith grows thin…
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." -Matthew 6:33
You can quote it by heart, and yet when asked what it means to seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, you will get 100 different answers from 100 different people.
I believe we as Christians do good things in the world. That should definitely count for something. But how do we know that the good things we are doing are actually seeking the Kingdom?
What about this one: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28
Again, often referred to, and misquoted just as often. I’ve heard and even said, myself, “...all things work together for good…” many times, but that is taken out of context. There are some qualifications to all things working together for good:
- “…to them that love God”,
- “...to them who are the called…”
- “...according to His purpose.”
It’s easy to believe that all things are working together for good. It takes the pressure off and provides a means of hope that inspires us when we feel helpless.
But without knowing His purpose, without knowing what we are called to, and how best to love God, we can’t really know if we are meeting the qualifications that are necessary for all things to work together for our good.
Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit with us. We have the gift of inspiration. We can receive personal revelation to know the mind and will of God.
Without that Divine connection, we cannot know if the good things we are choosing to do are actually God’s purpose. If we don’t know God, we cannot know if we are in line with His righteousness. We cannot love whom we do not know.
Many of us feel called, driven to share a message or to unfold a portion of His mysteries. We call this our purpose. But this scripture calls it God’s purpose. We are fulfilling God’s purpose when we share that message.
Blessedly, our original relationship with God as our Father qualifies us to come to Him at any time, and He will hear, He will give instruction, and He will make all things work together for good, so that His purpose is fulfilled. Yes, for His glory. AND because He loves us. He knows that to serve those we feel called to, is the only way for us to feel true joy and fulfillment.
Some resist the idea of pre-destination. Some say they want to choose what they do with their lives. Some feel that obedience to ideas given through inspiration takes away our agency.
I say that by connecting with my Father, seeking that His Kingdom be built according to His purpose, asking to be part of His plan and that I be used in a way that will utilize my divine gifts, IS THE ONLY WAY to happiness and fulfillment.
My favorite way to connect with God every day is through my Daily GPS (Gratitude, Prayer and Scripture). Here’s a link to a free guide and journal page if you want to try it out. https://mentoring.wylenebenson.com/daily-gps-2023
And as we come to Him every day, all things will work together for our good. Because our good is also God’s good. And He will clear the path for His purpose to be fulfilled.
The only reason there are multiple answers to what it means to seek the Kingdom first, is that each person plays a different role in God’s bigger purpose. There is no one answer. We each ask, we each get different instruction according to His purpose for us individually.
Just as we are all members of the body of Christ, each of us has different gifts, and we all play a unique role in fulfilling God’s purpose. We are happiest when we know what that role is and do it. Life is easiest, and all things do work together for good.
By coming to Him every day, we can know what our role is. By taking action on the inspired shortcuts He leads us to, our lives can be rich and full of joy, gratitude and love. Every one of us has access to the mind and will of God if we will just turn to Him in love and trust.
Thanks for reading. I’d love to read your comments below!
Here’s a link to a free Daily GPS guide and journal page if you want to try it out. https://mentoring.wylenebenson.com/daily-gps-2023
