The Gift that Keeps on Giving
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33
A verse for all the worriers. The "things" Jesus refers to are food and clothing, the everyday necessities. This is a great, foundational verse about priorities and trust. It is just what the spiritual babies (good grief—preemies!) attending Jesus' sermon on the mount needed to hear and apply to their lives.
But Jesus doesn't just say "these things;" He says "all these things." So really that could mean anything we need. Or think we need. Or can't get for ourselves. But hey, God can. He's got the hookup. We seek Him like a cosmic vending machine, throw in our loose change, and expect to get "all these things."
At some point, however, we need to realize that "all these things" do not constitute the payoff of Christian faith. The payoff is God Himself. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD/and he will give you the desires of your heart." Doesn't it sound like He is just begging us to make Him the desire of our hearts? Of course He won't begrudge us the necessities of life; they are so nothing compared with the gift of Himself He's dying to give us. Nothing we could ask for even comes close to the value of God.
The rich, young ruler of Mark 10 already had "all these things," or at least, most of them. He just needed the last thing on his list: eternal life. So he hits up the J-man. Jesus tells him, Get rid of all these things. They are keeping you from the greatest thing: me. But the man couldn't see that laying hold of God Himself was a reward far greater than anything else. Granted, adjusting one's perspective to prize the gift of God above the trappings of faith requires some spiritual insight and abstract thinking. But all these things will be given to you as well.