Seek Ye First the Kingdom: God's Way to Finding Contentment Based on Matthew 6:33

Timothy Gray

• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781644683217
• eBook ISBN: 9781644683224
• Topic: Theology & Religion

Stress, short tempers, impatience, and greed-these are elements that have their origin in what is having an effect on all of us. That thing is discontentment. Matthew 6: 33 addresses this condition and provides us with the answer to discontentment by looking through the lens of God's perspective. It is sure to enlighten, challenge, and encourage the reader.

Chapter 9

God’s Plan for Remaining Content

We draw close to the Lord through the application of the title of this book, found in Matthew 6:33. In seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we find spiritual contentment, which is something that cannot be found in material things (which are here today and gone tomorrow) but rather in a permanent contentment that produces Christlikeness in us. It is that sense of contentment that comes from trusting God and honoring his principles. Psalm 84:11 states, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” A couple of companion verses are found in Colossians 3:1–2, which reads, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” It is another way of telling us to keep a divine perspective. Perishable things of this earth are vanities, according to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:2; and that brings us to the most important need we have, which is the salvation of our souls.

It does not matter what our earthly possessions are, what our social status is, how big our bank account is, or any other thing in our lives that bring us a feeling of completeness. None of these things will bring real and lasting contentment. If they did, then why do we often hear about yet another prominent, successful person or celebrity who, according to the world’s standards, “have it all,” are involved in an extramarital affair or scandal of a different kind? Worst of all, why do so many of them choose to end their life by committing suicide? At this point, for those who wonder if someone forfeits heaven by taking their own life, the answer is that it depends on whether they ever trusted Jesus Christ and received him as their personal Savior. If they have, you can be assured that they are now with the Lord. Suicide, like any other sin, is forgivable because when Jesus paid our sin debt by dying on the cross, he paid for all of our sins, including those committed after salvation. Jesus died for all of our sins, including our future sins; and when he paid our sin debt in full, all of our sins were in the future. It is true that one who takes their own life has no opportunity afterward to confess that sin, but if their last unconfessed sin was suicide and that should keep them from going to heaven, then any sin that goes unconfessed before death would as well. That would include the believer who just “called in sick” to his employer so he could go play a few rounds of golf, then suddenly died of a heart attack on the golf course. True, suicide is a much more serious sin than lying, but even just one sin is enough to condemn to hell anyone who has not trusted in Christ as their personal Savior, so the size of the sin does not determine our eternal destination.

However, if we as believers take our last breath with unconfessed sin or sins, there is a negative consequence for us, because although the sin or sins will not break our union with God, we will experience shame and embarrassment when we stand before Christ at the Bema Seat. The Bema Seat was where a judge would sit and reward participants of the Olympics in ancient Greece. The future Bema Seat is for believers and is where we will be rewarded for how we served and obeyed our Lord during our earthly pilgrimage. It will not be a judgment of condemnation for our failures but a judgment of how we handled the opportunities of service we were given. How many rewards we receive will be determined by how we lived our lives as Christians during our earthly walk with him. Therefore, it’s important that we keep short sin accounts with God by immediately confessing and repenting of them. More on the subject of rewards can be found in 1 Corinthians 3:8–15. We will visit the subject of rewards in heaven later in this chapter.

Another tragic consequence to suicide (which by the way is murder even though of the self) is the grief it brings upon family members and other loved ones. Murder of self is a selfish act that should never be contemplated by anyone. It leaves anguish and destruction in its wake from which loved ones might never recover. Remember, we are created in the image of God, and it is up to God, not us, to decide when our time on this earth comes to an end.

One last point on the subject of why suicide will not disqualify us from heaven is God’s mercy. He knows the deep pain and hurt a suicide victim has that causes him or her to want to end it all. Isaiah 42:3 illustrates this very well: “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” Although in the context this refers to those who are oppressed under unjust rule, the gentleness of Jesus as Servant is depicted. Any person who is depressed to the point of suicide would have to be included as oppressed as well.

Our loving heavenly Father knows how some people are so depressed and in so much pain they despair of waking up the next morning to the point of believing that taking their own life is their only way of relief. He knows and he understands. Even Paul and Timothy despaired of life in 2 Corinthians 1:8, and Paul also mentions his desire to depart and be with Christ in Philippians 3:23. However, the apostle also recognized that God still had work for him to do on earth. Paul was not considering suicide, but the point is that he had a deep yearning to be with Jesus. God is merciful and will not refuse anyone who has come to him by faith—even those who commit suicide. He is not going to reverse the salvation his Son purchased for them: the price Jesus paid for their salvation and what it cost God, the death of his Son. But suicide is an insult to God and, like any sin left unconfessed, will certainly result in the loss of rewards in heaven.

Now about salvation.

We are void of true lasting contentment until we receive the gift of eternal life. A gift is something that is free. It is not earned in any way; otherwise, it would not be a gift. So we can do nothing to earn our salvation. We are saved by accepting the gift of eternal life that Jesus paid for by shedding his precious blood, suffering the torment we deserved to suffer, dying a cruel death on the cross, being buried, and rising from the grave. Jesus paid our sin debt in full. All we can do is say yes to his offer of salvation. As the saying goes, and it’s true, “If you have received Jesus as your Savior you have everything. If you have not, you have nothing.” Maybe you have received Christ as your personal Savior and the matter of where you will spend eternity is forever settled in heaven. If so, praise God. Or maybe you have had the Gospel (which by the way means “good news”) explained to you but have never put your trust in Jesus to save you. Maybe still, you have never really had someone explain from the Bible God’s perfect plan of salvation.

This brings us to the most important part of this book and the answer to the most important question we will ever ask ourselves or be asked—how do we make sure that when we pass from this life we go to heaven?

It begins first by understanding who Jesus is and what sin is. Jesus is God’s own Son, the second person of the Trinity, who, together with the Holy Spirit, is coeternal with God the Father. Because God so loved the world he sent his Son, Jesus, from the glories of heaven to sin-contaminated earth, to be born of a virgin, to live for thirty-three years, walking among us. In his humanity, he was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). So what is sin? Sin is disobeying God by committing any act or thought that violates his laws and commandments. There are two categories of sin: sins of commission and sins of omission. A sin of commission is when we do something we should not do. Stealing, lying, gossiping, and murder are only a few examples of sins of commission.

A sin of omission is when we do not do something we should do, such as intercessory prayer for others. An Old Testament example of this is found in 1 Samuel 12:23, when the prophet Samuel acknowledges to the people of Israel that for him not to pray for them would be sin.

Another example of the sin of omission can be found in Matthew 28:19. In this passage of Scripture, we are commanded to tell others about Jesus. We are told to go to the lost in all nation...

Table of contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• The Origins of Sin and the Curse
• Early Life in the Garden
• Examples of Discontented Bible Characters
• Examples of Contented Bible Characters
• Some of God’s Promises
• Is Something Wrong with Being Wealthy?
• Contentment Trials
• Anxiety and a Divine Perspective
• God’s Plan for Remaining Content
• About the Author