In my last days in the world, I give thanks to my King and Lord for showing me my purpose and giving me my assignment. What is my position here on earth? I am the writer, and my wife plays a great part in what I do for the King. We always seek the Kingdom. In addition to seeking the Kingdom of God first, you are to seek His righteousness as well. Keep in mind His righteousness comes through your obeying His Word. That should be a priority. I can't stress that any better. The Lord’s Kingdom cannot be separated from His righteousness, His Word. A kingdom always reflects the nature and character of its king. The Lord God is righteous and therefore His Kingdom is righteous also. Keep in mind that only the righteous will enter the Kingdom. We cannot be righteous without the Holy Spirit operating in our life. As King David stated: The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Psalm 14:2-3 Ambassador Paul tells the Romans that it is only through the Holy Spirit living inside us that we may become righteous. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:9-11 When you are born again through the new birth by repentance of sin and faith in King Jesus the Christ, the Lord God considers you as belonging to His family. He is our Father. He declares you as righteous on the basis of the righteousness of His Son. Through His Son you gain entrance into His Kingdom. This is why it is so important to accept Jesus the King as your Lord and Savior. In God’s Constitution this transaction is called justification. The word justification (or justified) is a legal term, not a religious term. It means to declare an individual innocent just as if that individual had never committed an offense. Do you recall what ambassador Paul said to those at Antioch? “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.” Acts 13:38-39 NLT He also made it very plain when he spoke to the citizens of Rome: “When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” Romans 2:12-15 NLT Keep in mind, when you are justified by the Lord Jesus, you receive a royal pardon from the King. He naturalizes you as citizens of His Kingdom with all the rights, privileges and resources that come with the Kingdom. You also come under Heaven’s government and administration and are accountable to the King. Remember what ambassador Paul stated: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21 Seeking the righteousness of God is vital because His righteousness protects you. His Word keeps you under His Kingdom covering. Keeping His Word is so important. Jesus told His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:15-17 Once you understand the covering of being in the Kingdom of God, all our protection and needs are automatic. Understanding what your position is in the Kingdom, confidently seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, you will not need to pray for "things"—all your needs. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Matthew 6:25-32 Remember, the Lord Jesus talked about praying to our Father and told us how to pray. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done; On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:5-13 That wasn’t a model prayer; it is how we are to pray. We should always seek His Will over ours. To pray anything else is to say that we prefer our will to be done, not recognizing that His Will is the best outcome for our life! The word righteous is also a legal term, not a religious term. It means right positioning or right standing, to be in correct alignment with the Lord God’s standard. Being righteous means that you aren’t violating the laws of the King’s government. In other words, you live by His laws and commands. As long as you are abiding by His laws and standards of His government, you have nothing to fear at all. You have a clear conscience. I am a living example of this. Remember, your faith in the Lord God’s Word is your greatest asset in His Kingdom. All scriptures are NKJV unless noted W.R. Luchie www.kingdomcitizens.org |