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"Seek Ye the Kingdom of God," Luke 12:13-34

Luke 12:13-34

This particular line of doctrine flies so much in the face of Babylon, but has particular significance for me, in establishing my life's mission. I had a particular obsession with money and the obtainment of it when I was a child. I remember at one point in my adolescence reading in the Sermon on the Mount:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt 6:33, read also vs. 24-34)
This passage of scripture here in Luke expounds in greater detail the passage found in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew.

The Purpose of Life

The Savior does not spell it out here, but in verse 15 of Luke 12, he does say what is not the purpose of life: "for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (emphasis added).

The message of the Savior in these verses is that we should not put our focus and emphasis on the acquisition of wealth, but rather on the building and establishment of the kingdom of God. He asks us to consider birds and flowers, which fulfill the purpose of their creation, and are endowed so much more with the glory of  God than any of man's wildest imaginations.

In verse 23, Jesus simply states: "The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment." Our life's purpose is more than what we eat. And the gift of our body is more than how it is dressed. Food and clothing are not ends in and of themselves.

The questions that I ask myself  are these:
  • How does one make himself rich towards God? 
  • What must I do to be found watching always and to be ready when the Lord comes again, whenever he comes again? 
There is also a shifting in thought towards my own labors and use of time. As I find ways to allow my professional vocations to more closely align with my spiritual objectives, I find that I have had to give up some things which are modern expectations because they cost too much. It is also curious to me how when two choices collide between church activity and worldly activities, there is typically a price tag attached to the worldly activities and we would end up saving money by pursuing the church activity instead.

But what is man's purpose? To become like God. It is for man to grow in possession of those attributes and characteristics that Christ possesses in perfection. (see 2 Peter 1:4-10) It is for us to use our time, talents, energies, and everything that is given us from God, to develop these characteristics. The birds and the flowers fulfill their beauty and graceful purposes. God takes care of them.  So should we become beautiful in the sight of God.

If this be our purpose, what then does verse 28 really mean? Is Christ saying that God will cloth us with these temporal needs? I think he is, in part. However, I think what Christ is really saying here is that God will clothe us in His glory, just like he does the flowers and the fields and all of His creations if we will believe.

How foolish is man to occupy himself with the obtainment of material means, when we neither take these things with us at the end of the life. Nor can we change the size of our stature, or the ultimate length of our lives. These things are not within our control. However the one thing over which we do ultimately have control over is whether or not we will let God bestow upon us His goodness and glory.

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