Matthew 6:33 – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

As we get ready to begin another school year at Trinity we are reminded of the great blessings that we receive. At our school, our children receive God’s Word every day in various ways. We have prayers, devotions, Bible lessons, and weekly chapel services. All these opportunities to be in God’s Word are an incredible blessing to their faith. Every time we gather around God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is working to nurture the faith in our hearts.

Our school year theme focuses on growing in God’s grace and the knowledge that only he can give us. We certainly grow in academic knowledge at school. That knowledge is very important as children advance to higher levels of education. The knowledge gained from all the various subjects helps them to figure out what they are going to do for a career. Here at Trinity we also grow in our Biblical knowledge.

We grow in the knowledge of what God has done for us. We are sinners who cannot save ourselves. God sent Jesus into this world to live perfectly in our place, to take our sins to the cross, and to show his victory through the resurrection. As we study the Bible, we grow closer and closer to our God. We grow in the grace of God. We see God’s love for us. Even though we did not deserve it, God sacrificed his Son to save us. Because of that love for us, we are motivated to seek God first in our lives.

We seek God first by making him the number one priority in our lives. As we learn at school, we remember that God gave us our ability to learn and we glorify him by working faithfully. This applies to our careers also. God has blessed us with all our skills and we are faithful when we work diligently. We put God first when we make worship and devotion a priority in our lives. We put God first when we build our relationships with people based on the wonderful relationship that God has with us.

This verse talks about blessings that will come our way when we seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness. “All these things” that will be given to us is not talking about whatever we think would be great for us. The verses before verses 33 speak about the fact that we don’t need to worry about the necessities of life. We don’t have to worry about what to eat or what to drink or what to wear. God provides for us. When we are putting him first in our lives, it is a fruit of faith. There is no need to worry, God will provide what we need and he will give us extra blessings.

We don’t seek God in order to earn blessings. Rather we understand that he has given us the greatest blessings through Christ. This leads us to put him first in our hearts and lives. Then, not because we have earned anything, he continues to give us more blessings. That is why he is such a gracious God. Continue to seek his kingdom and his righteousness. God will continue to bless you.