It's ALL about our HEART

Matthew 15:17-20 (Jesus speaking)

   "Do you not understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the

    stomach, and is eliminated? But whatever [word] comes out of the mouth

    comes from the heart, and this is what defiles and dishonors the man. For out

    of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual

    immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent

    speech, blaspheming). These are the things which defile and dishonor the man;

    but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

The Word gives us directions about what WE need to do about our heart, and I suspect none of us gives our heart much thought. Spiritually, we see the need throughout scripture. There are so many scriptures to turn to in order to understand the significance of the heart. I'm going to share the ones that have brought meaning to my life without attempting to tell you which ones are the most important.

  Matthew 6:21. 5:8 / Proverbs 3:5, 23:26, / Psalms 51:10.73:26,37:4.9:1.26:2, 

  24:4, 19:14. 119:1/ Philippians 4:7/ John 14:27 / Mark 6:52

Both Old and New Testaments, and these are only a few. But it should tell us the importance of our heart and how we should protect it.

   "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."

    [Proverbs 4:23]

 

The Message Bible says: "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts." And this also demonstrates how important it is to read the same scriptures in a variety of translations and versions as they will increase our understanding.

Who does the being vigilant, watching, guarding? WE do. We can't ask our neighbor, our spouse, our parents, it is always OUR responsibility. Partially, I think, because only we are with ourselves 24x7x365. But mostly because it is something that we control, we decide - we do our feeding.

If I had to sum up this appeal to you, the reason that I have titled this: it's ALL about our Heart can be summed up in the Message Bible's Proverbs 3: 5-12

   "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on

    your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

    He's the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all.

    Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will

    vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give Him the first and 

    the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear

    friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the

    child He loves that God corrects;"

 

At a loss for words...

Do you ever find yourself at a loss for words? Me? Rarely... rarely. It's not that I'm not surprised by what we all do and say, it's more that I typically also have a reaction... one, that I'm pleased to say, I've learned to not always articulate. However, the actual shock/surprise/ jaw dropping response resulting in a loss for words....... rarely. I've always thought that my reason is that I'm a bit of a wordsmith - words are in my 'wheelhouse'. But when I think about all that the Lord has and is doing for and with me - yes, yes I do find myself at a loss for words.

'So?' Do I hear you say? This is an attitude, 'quality', attribute that if I didn't feel this way I would want to. To me, this is not something to avoid, rather something to savor, to embrace. 'You need more words from me?' Let me try and explain. There are some words that the devil has tricked us into taking the wrong definition. Not that the definition is wrong, it's just not the right applicable. Example: fear. Especially in the Old Testament we are told to 'fear' the Lord, etc. Fear is typically defined as a negative, something to avoid, not wanted, to cower under. But that's not the definition when applied to the Lord.

Fear the Lord... reverence, awe. Google tells us:

  "The Hebrew word translated into 'awe' in the Bible is yirah (יראה, pronounced

    yir-ah). It often directly translates into fear, like “fear of the Lord,” but it can

    also mean respect, reverence, and worship."

I suspect this was a reluctant definition by Google because it then ends with:

"But, make no mistake about it, yirah is strongly connected to 'trembling'." Which should make us wonder about the word 'trembling'. Again, typically a afraid of 'fear' based definition. And never assume that your definition is the universal definition. We all slightly redefine according to our experiences. 

Words are incredibly important including their definitions and applications. When I first read:

   "... on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every

    careless or useless word they speak. For by your words [reflecting your

    spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by

    your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.” 

    [Matthew 12:36-37]

   "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and

    indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words." 

    [Proverbs 18:21]

admittedly it did cause me to stop and wonder. And also realize that I am guilty of unthinking, unintended understandings... and that only begins the litany. I do know that there are moments when I react to someone else's words incorrectly. Fortunately, this has also provided a standard of double checking whether speaking or listening to know the definitions.

There are other verses that speak to us about our words, but these 2 suffice in making us aware of our responsibilities when it comes to what we say. and I would add - how we say them. No, not censorship but an awareness of what we say and the potential implications from that. Just like in other areas of our lives, we are responsible for the ramifications from our actions/words.

When you think about it another minute... being at a loss for words may not be all that bad IF we take a moment and think about what we will say before we wish we could take back what we just said.

No blame... NO shame

Are you living with blame... or shame... or both? Is your past continually slapping you in your face? Are you a candidate for the old sing-song rhyme: 'nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms'? Granted, not an appetizing rhyme but one that totally dates me. The point in this - how do you see yourself? Are you still living in your past? Do you still view yourself as basically a wretch - one saved by Grace but still a wretch? Wrong!

Where do you think these thoughts are coming from? Do you honestly believe that the Lord would go through all He did and yet still continues to be our High Priest, our Savior, but view His people with disdain? And where do you think that thought comes from? Precisely. Our great enemy. Can you define our enemy? Scripture does!

   "I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live

    forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security).   

    The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they

    may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it 

    overflows]." [John 10:9-10]

Door: Jesus, saved. Steal, kill, destroy: devil/satan. While I know this answers the question... it's difficult to act on who we become: 

   "Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in

    Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit];

    the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away.

    Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]."

    [2 Corinthians 5:17] 

But... But... But... I know who I am, what I did... True. But it's also not news to the Lord. He was with you when you did/said what you did. YET He chooses to save us, to give us new, eternal life and to designate that we now are a new creature and the old things have passed away and the new things have come. Caveat: WE have to act on this. The Lord has provided but we do the accepting. When we come to Him, repentant of those acts and words, He forgives and casts those sins as far away as possible (Psalms 103:1). They no longer exist. So why are we trying to dredge them up, to live in our past? There's no way that we can undo what we did/said, we will always reap what we sow, but that's a 'then' and we should be living in a 'now'. 

As that new creature made by the Lord through our coming to Him and asking Him to be our Lord, WE need to put on the new man:

   "... regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely   

    discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires,

   and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, 

   untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the

   regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the

   righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God

   your gratitude for your salvation]. Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether

   lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these],

   speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and

   we are all parts of the body of Christ]." [Ephesians 4: 22-25]

The final argument I have for NOT accepting the devil's description of us as being of blame and shame, I give you 1 John 1:9

   "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful

    and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and

    cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing,

    everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]."

And this is true for repeated sins, not license, but until we gain control and overcome. Again, He gives everything we need to live the abundant life. We also have all the scriptures necessary to refute satan (which is how Jesus defeated the devil in the desert - Matthew 4:1-8. Never, never, never buy into the devil's lies... especially about who you are, Whose you are, and who you are becoming! The Lord's not finished with us/you yet. We may have come as a wretch, just as we were... we leave as a new creature, created in Christ Jesus. Therefore... no blame... no shame.

Asking???

    "Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you;,,," [Matthew 7:7]

Are you an ask-er? Do you keep on asking? Do you receive? Do you know HOW to ask?

   "Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the

    throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear ..." [Hebrews

    4:16]

Now the what...

   "You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong

    motives ..." [James 4:3]

Those 3 verses give askers all they need to know if their asking is according to the will of God and whether or not they receive what they ask for. I think there are those who don't ask because they don't feel they should... or don't know how to ask... or don't know what it is they need to ask... or even when they should ask. The when is somewhat obvious - when the need arises. But why is it that we stop ourselves from asking? If it's important to us, then why should we hesitate?

Maybe you have these points well in hand... is there something else that may be missing? Such as: Do you have your expect-or on? Are you listening? Starting with expecting. Do you expect the Lord to answer your ask? Is your expect-or on high? Are you looking only for your answer to your ask? How are you expecting? Is it an issue of 'time'? Have you checked scripture to discover if your answer is there? The Bible IS our manual for life and living. All these questions are meant to get our frame of reference in place. We will never receive if we don't think the Lord will answer.

Next. Are we listening. Is the Lord answering our request, our ask and giving us our needed answer? Is He telling us that He's already answered out need? Do we stop long enough in what we're saying and doing to actually... listen? Do we know of similar requests, either ours or what we've read in scripture, and the answers that have come? Do we remember His responses? If not, then we know what we need to do in order to hear what He's saying.

Asking is something I think the Lord wants us to do. It's not that He doesn't already know AND care. There's a purpose in asking. Do you see and understand this? One of the 'attributes' of asking is that it no longer is just a thought, unspoken, but now we see what it is we are thinking, say what it is we are wanting, and know if it's according to His will. The Lord knows and now so do we. I never believe that the Lord doesn't answer prayer, requests, He tells us that our 'Yes' should be yes and our 'No' should be no (Matthew 5:37). Why would He act differently?

Asking is important on so many levels. And our when, where, how, what, who of asking is crucial. I do believe that the more we ask, and stay around to hear the answer, the more we grow in confidence because we have grown in asking. Just know you will always have the answer.

People of God

Know what this means? who it refers to? After a cursory study of this phrase, I thought it referred to God's chosen people - the Jews. Then in one scripture I saw that it referred to us (Gentiles) 

   "Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; ..."
    [1 Peter 2:10]

We are the 'once you were not a people'. And when we make Jesus our Lord:

   "For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the

    Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have

    taken on His characteristics and values]. There is [now no distinction in regard

    to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is

    neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no

    one can claim a spiritual superiority]. And if you belong to Christ [if you are in

    Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to

    [God’s] promise." [Galatians 3:27-29]

This changes everything! Do you realize this is part of what describes, defines you? You are part of the People of God. One point is that We never were called as lone rangers - to be on our own. We are a family. We have been grated in (Romans 11: 11-36) and stand together. Does that mean we always agree... hardly, but we also don't let disagreements destroy us. Satan, on the other hand, has always tried to thwart God's people coming and acting together... in one accord. This also defines how we act - together. We're not off by ourselves to be picked off by our enemy one by one. Together we are:

   "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special]

    people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies

    [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of

    darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people [at all], but

    now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you

    have received mercy." [1 Peter 2:9-11]

Those 3 verses tell us we ARE: Chosen, Royal Priesthood, Consecrated Nation, God's own possession, Proclaim the excellencies, Called out of darkness, God's people, Receive Mercy. What gifts we are given! And do realize that you are talking about relationship. With God. With one another. What did Jesus call the second greatest commandment?  

   "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus replied to

    him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your

    soul, and with all your mind.’" This is the first and greatest commandment. The

    second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly

    seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of

    the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22:36-40]

This defines, describes People of God. And this is Who you are, Whose you are,  and How you do You. 

 

Harvest

This will probably sound like the strangest comment/question I’ve ever posed … have you ever thought that your harvest field was the churched? Have you ever considered that the person sitting next to you in church may not be saved? In fact they may never have thought about salvation because it so rarely is preached in some churches. Plus, if they are a regular church goer, they may think that they are, that going to church is enough. Not.

The 'churched' attend church- yes. And they may give a tithe or offering, they are basically ‘good people’. They may even have been confirmed in a church in the far distant past. And/or they may also serve in some capacity of the church's leadership. Actually, that doesn’t matter in the final analysis if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. How can this be? While there are many verses that attest to this, I’m only going to provide a few examples since the focus of this is on saving the unsaved churched people... that could be your field to harvest.

   "Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot

    enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” Jesus answered,

    “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and

    the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the

    flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the

    Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born

    again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’  

    [John 3: 4-7}

   "This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders,

    but which became the chief Cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one

    else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among 

    people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no

    alternative for salvation].”  [Acts 4:11-12]

These unsaved can be your family, your friend, your next door neighbor…

How do you know? Ask. Their (or yours) potential embarrassment or lack of understanding is too high a price to pay for assuming. Though it may not, this should end any discussion on being born again and how one is. Only basis to be saved. Only Savior. So what do you need to do to be born again, to enter into salvation, to know Whose you are and what this means:

   "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your 

    heart”—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach—

    because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

    [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your

    heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart

    a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is,

    being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to

    God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly],

    resulting in and confirming [his] salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever

    believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be

    disappointed [in his expectations].”  For there is no distinction between Jew and

    Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in

    riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer [Romans 10:8-12]

When you consider everything that awaits those who believe, do you really want to leave to 'chance' that a member of your family, or your neighbor, or a close friend may not know or know what's available for those who confess Jesus as their Lord? A momentary embarrassment either yours or the person you are speaking to is a very small price to pay for eternal life.

Being YOU!

There’s a great quote that says:

   “Be Yourself! No matter what people think… God made you the way you are for

    a reason. Besides, an original is worth more than a copy.” [Priya Alice?]

True. Do you believe this about and for yourself? Regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not… you did NOT evolve out of the mud from an amoeba by chance. You were intentionally created by a loving Father God, the Creator of everything that is!  HE breathed the breath of life into you! And if the Creator of the Universe created you, then you are not a mistake or in the wrong age/country, etc. and He always pronounce on whatever He creates that it is good! There's a scripture that also speaks to and about us:

   "For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I

    will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;" 

    [Psalms 139: 13-14, NASB}

In another place in scripture [Isaiah 49:15b-16a, TLV] it says that our names are inscribed in the palms of His hands - "...I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands." Have you ever thanked the Father that you are so special to Him? That You are made by His hand. Think about God breathing life into you. What does this mean? Perhaps fanciful but if He breathed life, does that mean He imparted something of Himself into you too? And do you appreciate that He has taken the time to to provide a Savior, save you, and continues to woo you to Himself? But He accepts your decision to accept His gift or not.

I’d like to believe that one of the abilities, attributes, qualities breathed into each of us is creativity. Our expressions of creativity vary and are unlimited. And since God breathed His breath into us then the qualities that identify Him are also breathed into us. Specifically, God is love, so that means He breathed love into us. And if He breathed into us His love, then we can love too... and not just the people that are loveable.

   "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the 

    stars, which You established—what is man, that You are mindful of him? And

    the son of man, that You care for him? Yet You made him a little lower than the

    angels, and crowned him with glory and majesty! You gave him dominion over

    the works of Your hands. You put all things under their feet: all sheep and

    oxen, and also beasts of the field," [Psalm 6:4-6]

This is US! Why do we dismiss this? Or choose not to accept this? And not treat one another in this manner? Being YOU is not a denial of some of the things you do or don't do, nor what you say or don't say, because we don't always act as His creation. But it is our opportunity to accept the Lord's gifts in order to become all that's available for us. Being you is not ever making a mistake... or a struggle... or a sin. But it is being aware of what to do when this happens [1 John 1:9]. Being born again doesn't exempt you from the thorns but it does have the remedy. As long as we live in a fallen world we need to expect the scrapes and falls... even when they originate in brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Never deny who you are, but don't stand still either. You weren't created as a statute but as a living, breathing new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) take the time to discover what this means for you. And... continue to become YOU.

 

Spiritual Warfare

I firmly believe the scripture that tells us we are blessed with every spiritual blessing and part of the reason for being blessed is so we will know and understand and apply the learnings found in the Word. Those blessings act as our guide as well as our strength. We should never forget 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5                                                                                                                           

   “For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our

    [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh using the weapons of man. The

    weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our

    weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are

    destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that 

    sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every

    thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,” [AMP]

 When you read this in the Message Bible, it kinda smacks you in the face:

   "The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight

    fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will.

    The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for

    demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-

    tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against

    the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the

    structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the

    ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity."

Satan knows this. Why do you think he would take the time and effort to distract us from waring against him? He wants us to focus on people because it totally wastes our time and gets our focus and thinking off of what we should be about. Also, why do you think this scripture exists?

   "Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before

    God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears

    everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be

    ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that

    is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a

    godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul." [2 Timothy 2:14-17, MSG]

Sadly, we can get into disputes with our brothers and sisters that waste time plus often causing misunderstandings between us, and get us away from the battle that is right at our door.  Unfortunately, our enemy has perfected the art of disingenuousness, of distraction, and he also knows how to 'use' people. We have to remember... we are NOT fighting against people. Repeating:

   "Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are

    destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that 

    sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every

    thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,"

Spiritual warfare is inevitable because of the devil and his hatred for God and God's creation - us. We are equipped with everything necessary to defeat the devil and be overcomers. We aren't alone in this, the Lord is always with us. Ultimately, we win. But until you go home to be with the Lord or His second coming occurs, remember who you are becoming, what you have, and Whose your are.

And...

Did my last word in the previous post leave you hanging? It was meant to. My point is that we sometimes don't read to the end of the sentence... or put the verse in context with what came before it and what comes after. And AND is a big word as are the other conjunctives. 

When you read the entire sentence in Matthew 6:33, AMP you see:

   "But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His

    righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character

    of God], and all these things will be given to you also."

Too often we don't read the entire sentence. Too often we assume what comes next, which may or may not be what happens. In this instance, "... and His righteousness..." is of great importance. Do we even understand what seeking after 'His righteousness' means or if it is even attainable? How do you understand the this phrase... and how do you combine it with the first half of the sentence. The question that jumps out at me is... if we also aren't seeking His righteousness, will we never understand His kingdom? (And why isn't kingdom spelled with a capital K?)

I've written on righteousness a number of times [primarily because I keep learning and understanding more about righteousness - and I'll probably continue to do so]. How have you made the word personal, do you operationalize it in your life? Just as a hint; first - our righteousness is as dirty rags (Isaiah 64:6) - ouch. Now what? What can we possibility do because we can't earn it or purchase it. However... the answer is found in scripture because it say, in 2 Corinthians 5:21

   "He (God, the Father) made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our

    behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we

    would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him

    by His gracious lovingkindness]."

God ALWAYS makes a way for His creation, for us. You need this verse as one of your weapons against the devil who will always tell us that there's no possible way we are saved or that why would we need this or any other lie. This is part of our proof as is Ephesians 1:13. AMP

   "In Him (Jesus), you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of

    your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of

    the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected

    [by God]."  

The Message Bible, in verse 14 says: 

   "This down payment [the Holy Spirit] from God is the first installment on what’s

    coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising

    and glorious life."

Then again... it's up to us. We need to 'allow' the Holy Spirit His work in our lives. It's His ministry in this world now to help us become who we can be and touch lives with the saving knowledge of the Lord. 

And all this begins with our seeing and understanding the 'And'. We need and can be righteous because of our belief in Jesus. I believe that He came bringing gifts and one of those gifts is relationship. But the Lord can't be in relationship with unrighteousness (parallel is 2 Corinthians 6:14 and unequally yoked) so He needed a way for us to find relationship which is 2 Corinthians 5:21 - one of the gifts of salvation. Look what happens when we read... And.

The Kingdom of God

What does this mean? Do you know? I'm sure you've heard the phrase... but WHAT does it mean to and for you? Not just a definition, but definitely a definition too, but how does this impact your day? Or... doesn't it?

   "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which

    are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do

    his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so

    preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t

    know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both

    God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-

    provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human

    concerns will be met.

    Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked

    up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with

    whatever hard things come up when the time comes." [Matthew 6:30-34. MSG]

Read how the Amplified, verse 33 is said:  

   "But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His

    righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of

    God]" 

But first and most importantly...  Any time that scripture uses those kinds of words, we should stop and reread and then study what the Word is telling us. The Institute for Creation Research (https://www.icr.org/) says:

 

   "... the tense of the verb “seek” in Greek implies a command to establish an

    ongoing habit or lifestyle of “seeking” the things of the kingdom ...

   “seeking,” to do so by the power of His Spirit living in us.

  

Theologyofwork.org explains the Kingdom of God as:

   "In a nutshell, the kingdom is not a place where God reigns so much as the 

    actual reign, rule, and authority of God. The kingdom of God is not heaven,

    though God does reign fully there. The kingdom of God is not a feeling or some

    ethereal spiritual reality. Rather, it is the presence and power of the sovereign

    God, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.

    Thus, when Jesus tells us to “Seek the kingdom of God” above all else (12:31),

    he is saying: “Let God be King over your whole life. Follow God’s direction and

    live for God’s glory. Wherever you are, whatever you do, seek God’s purpose

    and walk in his ways.” The tense of the Greek verb translated as “seek”

    emphasizes the ongoing character of Jesus’ imperative. We are to seek and

    keep on seeking God’s reign over our lives." 

Do these 'interpretations'/explanations help us understand? I'm still mulling the concept of the kingdom not being a place but the presence and power of the sovereign God in us... in ME. This makes sense to me. Thus 'Let God be King over your whole life' is a choice, a decision we make. We ARE to seek and keep on seeking God's reign over our lives.' This is a noble 'quest'.

And...