Today Daily Devotional

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
— Matthew 6:33

Did you play hide-and-seek as a child? I did, and I play it now with my grandchildren. (They are easy to find when they’re under a blanket on the couch.)In our text for today Jesus talks about seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness as our first priority, our main goal in life. And when we do that, all of the things we need will be taken care of. The point here is not to wish us good luck in finding something well hidden. Rather, Jesus urges us to pursue God’s will, placing his purposes first in our lives so that we may live as he calls us to.The good news is that God and his kingdom can be easily found. We can find God and his kingdom in the life of Christ and among believers who listen to God’s Word and strive to live by it. They aim to live righteously by acting justly and with mercy for all people, as Jesus did.Jesus’ teaching ministry can be summed up with these words: “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). God’s kingdom is found in Jesus, who said, “Follow me” (Mark 1:17), and taught that he is the only way to God and his kingdom (John 14:6).If we don’t have a specific destination, we will just wander. Christians know, as Jesus showed, that their ultimate destination is God and his kingdom. This is what we must aim for as we follow Jesus’ teachings by the power of his Spirit.

Dear God, may the aim of our thoughts and desires be toward you. May your Spirit help us to seek your kingdom first in all we think, say, and do. Amen.

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
— Mark 12:30

As Jesus answers a question about the greatest commandment, he quotes from Deuteronomy 6 in the Old Testament. He emphasizes that loving God involves our whole being—every part of us. In this way Jesus draws attention to the Hebrew teaching of the heart as the center of our being, the seat of our mind, our will, and our emotions. Our mind is a fundamental part of our whole being.Our mind is at the core of our self. Our everyday living flows from our thoughts and desires, and these are reflected in our words and deeds—all that we do and say. Most of our thoughts and desires go unnoticed by us and others, however. So if we want to obey the greatest commandment, we need to pay attention to our thoughts and desires. We need to pay attention to our mind.With our mind we can tell the difference between right and wrong. We can make plans and figure out how to reach our goals. Our mind reflects our character and disposition. No wonder Jesus reminds us how important it is to love God with all our mind.Yet I find that I rarely examine my mind to see if it is focused on loving God or on a swamp of ugly thoughts and desires. Is that true of you too?This month let’s focus on serving God with all our mind. Let’s consider how God can transform us to live as he calls us to live—like Jesus.

O God, help us to think about what we think about. May our thoughts and desires be worthy of the children you call us to be, in Christ. Amen.

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .
— 1 Peter 2:9

We are often our own worst critics. I find that many of my inner thoughts tend to be negative about myself. “Kent, what were you thinking?” “You keep doing that. . . .” “Now they are going to think you’re a jerk.” And so on.The truth is, we often have good reasons for chewing ourselves out. We mess up. Daily.That’s why we need to go to the Bible and remind ourselves what God thinks of us. This beautiful text in 1 Peter helps us see how blessed and loved we are. We are chosen by God to become part of his family. This means we are royalty. We are princesses and princes in the kingdom of God, the Lord of the cosmos. We are also a priesthood, meaning we are made holy, pure, and dedicated to the One who is totally holy and pure. And we are called to praise this amazing God who has called us “out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”Wow! We are not total screwups! No other creatures in the universe have more going for them than we do. Oh, sure, we don’t see the final product yet. But what Peter describes is the reality that God sees, and this is the reality we need to see.When you are tempted to be negative, try talking to yourself this way: “Yes, I messed up. But I am chosen by God to be part of his family—holy, royal, and called to serve the King of the cosmos faithfully.” This is how God sees you.

Lord, thank you for remaking us in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for calling us to live in your glorious light. Help us to think of ourselves as you do. In Jesus, Amen.

You are a chosen people . . . a holy nation, God’s special possession. . . .
— 1 Peter 2:9

While God is busy preparing the new creation, he is working on a special project. He is building a chosen people, a holy nation, the “special possession” that Peter talks about in our text for today.Peter’s labels for God’s people are borrowed from the Old Testament. They were first used to describe ancient Israel, to signify their special status as God’s chosen nation. Now those labels are given to the collection of all who are “in Christ,” people from every nation and language that God calls to himself, believers in Christ who are waiting for God’s new creation.All who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior are a part of that crowd, gathered from across the globe and throughout the ages. We whose lives are “in Christ” are living signposts of the great multitude that God is gathering, an important part of the coming new creation.Look in the mirror today with this biblical lens: If you are a believer in Christ, you are gazing at a new creation—someone who is being made new in Christ. You are gazing at a living signpost of the big new creation that God is—even now— building. And you are somehow gazing into a global, timeless, and much-loved gathering— God’s holy people. All of this is proof that the old has gone, and the new has come!

What a joyous gift, O God, to be “in Christ” and looking forward to life with you as part of your holy people in your new creation. We praise and honor you for making all things new, including us. Amen.

“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
— Revelation 6:10

Are you waiting for anything these days? Maybe a longplanned vacation or an important birthday? Or maybe you’re waiting for healing after a surgery, or for a relationship to be restored.In our text for today we see a gathering of waiting saints. This is part of the amazing sequence of visions God gave to the apostle John to write down as the book of Revelation. The saints in this passage have been killed for their faith in Jesus, and they want to know how long they will have to wait for justice, for the Lord’s vengeance, and for the completion of God’s kingdom to come.It’s a question that all of us who are “in Christ” ask in one form or another. When will our faith be made sight? When will God’s remaking of creation, which began at Christ’s resurrection, be complete? When will suffering on this earth be over? When will joy become truly everlasting?“Wait just a little longer” is the answer. No calendar date is provided, but the Lord promises that it will happen. All of us who are “in Christ” will be able to enjoy full life in God’s new creation someday. In the meantime, we new creations, all of us who are “in Christ,” are held, loved, and kept for the arrival of that big new creation the Lord is working on.

Lord, we are eager for your kingdom to come in its fullness. But we will wait, and as we try to do that in faith, with trust in you and love for one another, help us to serve you faithfully. In Jesus’ name, Amen.