Greg Laurie Daily Devotion- Nov. 11, 2011

First Things First

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven."—Matthew 6:10

A verse every Christian should commit to memory is Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? God's kingdom is the rule and reign of Christ in our lives. Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). This is praying for a day when God will bring heaven to earth and will bring His rule on this planet. God still has a plan for planet Earth. He will rule and reign here, and as believers, we will rule and reign with Him. So that is in the future.

But when we pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven," we are also praying for the rule and reign of the kingdom of God in our lives. This is when Jesus is in charge. On one occasion Jesus said, "For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), where He was speaking of himself. When you are under His lordship, and when He is in control of your life, that is the kingdom of God. It is not rules and regulations, but "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

Have you, as a Christian, surrendered your life to Christ? Have you said, "Lord, I want Your will more than I want my own will. I am willing to surrender to You now"? Because you cannot pray, "Your kingdom come" until you first pray, "My kingdom go." Have you done that yet?

A lack of faith can bring a lot of anxiety into our lives. So instead of worrying, we should put God and His will first in our lives. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Each month of our 2012 calendar features an ‘I AM’ statement of Christ and then, right alongside the specific verse, we offer a little commentary on what that statement means. There is also a suggested prayer included that you might pray to deepen your appreciation and application of that ‘I AM’ verse in your own life.

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