Only A Holy God
Matthew 6 is an interesting passage about priorities and focus for the believer. Throughout the passage, Jesus tells those who follow Him to order their lives in such a way that the kingdom of heaven comes first.
Matthew 6:10
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:19–21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
These verses remind us of two things.
First, the proper order of life is to prioritize the things of God over the things of this earth.
Second, we are temporary citizens of this world.
Philippians 3:20
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This brings up a good question: Are we as passionate about the things of heaven as we are about the things of this world?
This is something I’m always battling as a sports fan. Am I as passionate about the things of God as I am about my sports teams? It’s sobering when I stop and think about how easily I get excited for a game with no eternal significance—a game I’m not even playing—yet how little I get excited about the things of God’s kingdom in comparison.
A song I have really come to love recently is Only a Holy God by CityAlight. The song works its way through just a few of the many reasons God is worthy of our worship by pointing out things that only God can do.
The chorus goes like this:
“Come and behold Him
The One and the Only
Cry out, sing holy
Forever a Holy God.”
The word that always gets me in this song is behold. As I said, the song walks through many reasons we have to praise God, yet I often find myself amazed by other things and holding them dearly—none of which are even the slightest bit as worthy of my attention as God.
Colossians 3:1–3 reminds us of the mindset we are to have:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
“Set your minds on things that are above.”
This applies to our thoughts, our hearts, and our actions.
As Matthew 6:33 says, we should “seek first the kingdom of God.” That should be our highest priority in everything we do and as citizens of that heavenly kingdom, we should live as ambassadors of heaven (1 Peter 2:11–12), reflecting the priorities of God’s kingdom and pointing people to Christ.
Adam