Devotional thought of the day:

“Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on God’s saving justice, and all these other things will be given you as well.”   Matthew 6:33 (NJB)

Most of those who claim to be Christian, would say we attempt this, to seek God’s kingdom, and then we go on to describe that we try to love God, and we really struggle to love our neighbors, that we do good things, we go to church sometimes we make every week!  (but don’t ask us to remember what the sermons were about!)   We might e talk about the missionaries we support.  Even with all that – are we seeking His kingdom first?  Do we really want to see Him in charge, to realize what it means for Him to reign over us?

Consider this…

 “A Christian always triumphs from the Cross, through his self-renunciation, because he allows God’s omnipotence to act.”   Escriva, The Furrow

What if seeking God’s kingdom means something that doing what we think is righteous?  What if it means embracing the cross, the suffering, the very act that takes us out of the darkness of sin, into the light of God’s glory?  If it meant realizing that He took on the pain of our broken lives… What if seeking His first His kingdom – meant letting God be God – and letting Him heal us, about realizing that we are cleansed of our own sin, and the injustice of the world?

What if it meant sitting there…. quietly, in stillness, and realizing the depth of God’s love for YOU?

That is where we enter the Kingdom – through Christ, in Christ, at the cross, that we would know the life we gain, that we are raised in. in Christ.

Hear St. Paul’s words,

 ³ You cannot have forgotten that all of us, when we were baptised into Christ Jesus, were baptised into his death. ⁴ So by our baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glorious power, we too should begin living a new life. ⁵ If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his;
Romans 6:2-5 (NJB)

Joined to His death in the cross – from there to be brought to life … IN HIM.   It’s His desire, it is the will of God, and looking to the cross – it begins there….and everything else – peace, joy, strength to endure, everything – comes with the life that begins in Him.  It is His kingdom, His work, His will, all of God’s power – focus to act … to bring us life.

Lord Have mercy, and help us to realize what that mercy brings.  AMEN