“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Mt. 6:33 NKJV)

The above passage is either true or false. Since Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life said it, and He spoke by authority from His Heavenly Father who cannot lie, we believe it to be true (Jn. 14:6, 12:49; Tt. 1:2). When Christ said, “seek” He was not asking, He was commanding. Since God gave Christ all authority in heaven and on earth, we must obey Him to be right (Mt. 28:18). Jesus is commanding us to prioritize the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The nations of the world (cf. Lk. 12:30) were seeking basic physical necessities (food, drink, and clothing) which the Father knows we all have need of (Mt. 6:25-32). To seek only those physical things, without prioritizing and seeking the spiritual, is the main reason anyone is wordly, fleshly, or carnal in their thinking. Such thinking causes problems including envy, strife, and division (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

To illustrate the point, if someone told you that you had to deny Jesus or they would terminate your physical life, what would your response be? Most, if not all, would make the bold claim of Peter and the other disciples to Jesus in Matthew 26:35 NKJV, “…Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.” Yet, we read of Peter denying Jesus not once or twice, but three times that very night (Mt. 26:69-74). Peter had already started to falter when he distanced himself from Jesus (Mt. 26:58). What did Peter prioritize? Answer that question, and you will see why he did what he did. Of a truth, when we do not give Christ our all, we cannot follow the commandment to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. This is why Jesus requires us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Mt. 16:24-26). This is why Jesus requires us to be willing to give up anything and everything that stands in the way of our being His faithful servants (Lk. 14:25-33).

Jesus is denied more in action, or the lack thereof, than in speech. Such is seen in Matthew 25 with the parable of the ten virgins, parable of the talents, and the sheep and the goats. Matthew 25 concludes with the final location of the inactive goats, everlasting punishment, and the active sheep, eternal life (Mt. 25:46). Both locations are everlasting or eternal. Both locations are real. Only one, Heaven, is available for those who seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Everyone else will find themselves forever tormented with what could have been. Speaking of priorities, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mt. 22:37 NKJV emphasis mine). If that is true in my life, I will have no problem assembling with the saints at every opportunity (e.g., Bible classes, worship services). I will have no problem reading and studying my Bible daily. I will have no problem praying without ceasing. I will have no problem reaching out to the lost in evangelism. I will have no problem doing what the Lord says, in fact, His wish is my command. We need more kingdom first Christians!

Trent Thrasher

“in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.” (1 Tim. 2:9-10 NKJV)

As we continue the thoughts from last week, God covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve with tunics of skin (Gen. 3:21). These garments went from the shoulders to the knees. In connection with covering nakedness, there is also the instruction for our apparel to be modest with propriety and moderation.

The word “modest” is the idea of orderly, well-arranged, or seemly. “Propriety” means with a sense of shame and is translated as “reverence” in Hebrews 12:28. This word would always restrain a good person from an unworthy act or in other words, something that would cause shame. “Moderation” is connected with self-control (cf. 1 Tim. 2:15) and reason (cf. Acts 26:25). When all concepts are combined we see that our clothing should be such that we do not draw excess attention to ourselves, “braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,” but would be orderly, reverent, and with self-control. The true beauty of anyone is their godliness and good works (cf. 1 Pt. 3:3-4).

If more time was spent in pointing others to Christ than drawing attention to ourselves more good could be accomplished! This is the point. As stewards of our bodies let us be sure that our bodies are adequately covered and that we are not drawing excessive attention to ourselves. To make it plain (Hab. 2:2): miniskirts, low cut clothing, short shorts, sheer or see-through clothing, tight fitting clothing such as spandex, yoga pants, or leggings, most (if not all) prom dresses, muscle shirts (or no shirt), tank tops, cheerleading outfits, and the like all fall into the category of lacking modesty with propriety and moderation and many times expose nakedness. This clothing will draw attention to the human body and oftentimes that is the very design of the clothing. Let us as Christians be good stewards of our bodies and not set a stumbling block before others.

Trent Thrasher

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Th. 5:23)

God created all three parts of man: spirit, soul, and body. This is seen in the creation of the first man where God formed his physical body from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (spirit), and man became a living being (soul) (Gen. 2:7). There is a sense in which man is a two-part being composed of the inner man and the outer man (2 Cor. 4:16; Rm. 7:22; Eph. 3:16). Our bodies are a temporary dwelling place just like a tent (cf. 2 Pt. 1:12-15). This means that we are sojourners and pilgrims on the Earth (1 Pt. 1:1, 2:11). That also means that this Earth is not our home and it too is temporary (2 Pt. 3:1-12; Heb. 1:10-12).

While here on Earth, our bodies must be sanctified or set apart for the purpose of glorifying God (1 Cor. 6:18-20). Whatever we do in our bodies should be to the glory (honor) of God. God owns our bodies which means we are stewards of our bodies. That means we must keep our bodies pure and sound. This also means that we must keep our bodies covered as God requires us to do.

The first man and woman were naked and not ashamed, until sin came into the world (Gen. 2:25, 3:7-11). From this time forward, God has required us to clothe our bodies to cover our nakedness (Gen. 3:21). Observe that Adam and Eve’s fig leaf coverings (translated as “belt” in 1 Kgs. 2:5) were not adequate to cover their nakedness. The word translated as “tunics” (Gen. 3:21) is also found in Exodus 28:4 as attire for the priests. This word describes a garment that covered at least from the shoulders to the knees. The priests were also required to wear linen pants which reached from the waist to the bottom of the thighs (down to the knee) to cover their nakedness (Ex. 28:42). We can then deduce that any clothing that exposes more skin than this exposes nakedness which is shameful (cf. Isa. 47:2-3). In other words, this does not bring glory to God and must be avoided. As stewards of our bodies, we must always be mindful that lust begins by looking (Mt. 5:28). Adequately clothing our bodies guards against lust which leads to other sins such as fornication and adultery.

Trent Thrasher

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” (Ecc. 3:1 NKJV)

There are sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, twenty-four hours in a day, seven days in a week, and fifty-two weeks in a year. What we do with these precious intervals of time is wholly dependent on our prioritization. With regard to worry about food, drink, and clothing, Jesus prioritized the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:25-34). With regard to worship, the first day of the week has been prioritized (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). Proper prioritization of time, a precious resource, is essential to being a good steward. Hence, we must redeem the time which means to use it as wisely as we possibly can (Eph. 5:16). Consider what Jesus accomplished in a brief time with a careful study of the Gospel accounts. He was very aware of time (cf. Jn. 2:4, 7:6-8, 12:23-28, 13:1, 17:1).

There is a time to be born, and a time to die (Ecc. 3:2). Physical death is an appointment we all will keep as long as the heavens and earth remain (Heb. 9:27; Jos. 23:14; Col. 1:16-17). Eventually the physical creation will be burned up at the final day and hour though none of us knows when that is (2 Pt. 3:10-12; Mt. 24:35-36; Mk. 13:31-33). The realization of this point results in being alert and watchful since salvation is getting closer (Rm. 13:11; cf. Mt. 25).

When we pass into eternity let it be said we used our time effectively as servants!

Trent Thrasher