Seeking After The Kingdom
A Collection of Devotional Messages to Inspire Your Faith
by
Jaye E. Seay
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Jaye E. Seay at Smashwords
Copyright © 2010 Jaye E. Seay
Cover Design by: Laura Shinn
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
www.zondervan.com
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Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Bible tells us that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God will make sure that we have all that we need to live from day to day. What a relief that is. No longer do we have to chase after the things of this world. Seeking worldly things makes us tired, stressed and often leaves us disappointed. In contrast, seeking God brings peace, refreshment and a sense of satisfaction. It is my prayer that the five devotional messages contained in this ebook will assist you in seeking first the Kingdom of God. I also pray that these devotional messages will help you to break free from your everyday worries. May God bless you abundantly.
Jaye E. Seay
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As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
My business unit recently moved into a new building because we needed more space. The views from the new building are spectacular. From the higher floors, you can see the towering office buildings of the town center in one direction and breathtaking mountain ranges in the other. One day, as I was enjoying the views, it dawned on me that the higher you are the more you can see the big picture. In the same way, when we turn our hearts to God and seek His wisdom, we begin to see the circumstances of our lives from heaven’s perspective.
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, the ways of the Lord are higher than our ways. God has a plan for our lives that’s bigger than anything we can think or imagine. We can trust in God’s providence and have confidence that God is working out the details of our lives for our good (Romans 8:28, NIV). God’s Word will not return to Him void and will produce fruit in our lives when we place our trust in Him.
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Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor.
The book of Genesis, chapter 24, presents the beautiful account of how God provided a wife for Isaac. In this narrative, we find that prayer was a major factor in the finding of Isaac's wife. Abraham gave his servant a task to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Through prayer, the servant was successful in his mission.
As the servant of Abraham stood by the spring, the young women of the town came to draw water. It was during these moments that Abraham's servant took time to pray. He asked God to make him successful and to reveal to him the woman that God had chosen to be Isaac's wife. Abraham's servant tapped into the power of God through prayer. The servant was wise to ask God to grant him a favorable outcome.
This is a good lesson for us. We can learn a lot from how Abraham's servant prepared for his assignment. We see in this text just how important prayer is for our fruitfulness.
God wants to hear from us. He wants us to seek Him and ask for His help. When we take time to pray, God will sometimes send an answer before we have gotten up off our knees. In my own experience, I have found that God will sometimes respond quickly to heartfelt prayer.
Time in prayer is beneficial to our well being. Prayer allows us to hear from God and bask in His presence. Prayer should be our top priority everyday. When God provides an answer to your prayers, don't forget to give him all the praise and glory.
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I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Sometimes it seems that we work hard but don't make much progress. We set goals and have an idea of what we want to accomplish but fulfillment seems far away. Having a vision requires patience and that can be hard to come by. It can be difficult to wait for a dream to come to pass.
God knows all about our dreams. If Christ dwells within us, He is the One who gave us the desire in the first place. God prepares the way for our future. Sometimes that preparation includes a little waiting.
God has promised to give us every place we step. This is good news because God keeps His promises. All we have to do is take a step of faith and we will receive what God has promised.
You may not have the job that God has promised you but it is on the way. You may not live in the house of your dreams but God can bless you with it one day. You may be single and praying for a spouse but God is preparing both you and your future mate to be ready for that kind of commitment.
God's people are blessed throughout the journey. Although we may have to wait for some of God's promises to come to pass, blessings are in the waiting. God gives us strength to persevere and blesses us right where we are.
Stay hopeful that one day God will bring you into your promised land. Be aware of the gifts that He provides along the way. God has promised that He will give us success with every step we take in faith. When you finally make it to your promised land, you will find that it was worth the wait.
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For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The other night, I watched a minister on television preach from the subject "Desperate Housewives." The message dealt with the biblical perspective of marriage. The message was powerful and moving. While watching the program, I noticed a man sitting with the choir mouth the word "wow!" Apparently, one particular point had really touched this man.
Have you ever experienced a "wow" moment at church? I frequently experience these kinds of moments during a church service. In moments such as these, the Word energizes my spirit. It seems as though the message preached was tailor made for me.
Scripture tells us that the Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). As we search God's Word, the Holy Spirit will arrest our attention. The Word of God reaches into the depths of our hearts and touches our souls.
Circumstances change in response to the Word of God. God's Word does not return to Him void. It is effective and will accomplish it's purpose (Isaiah 55:11). It will comfort you, heal you and give you a life worth living. Hide God's Word in your heart and it will enrich your life (Proverbs 3:1-2).
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When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Has your faith ever been tested? Have you ever faced a situation that, although you believe in the power of God, you just didn’t see how the situation would be resolved? I've been there. I have experienced the blessings of God but yet have struggled with unbelief. Some of our problems seem to be too great. They very well may be if we are trusting in human effort. However, when we place our trust in God, we are placing our trust with the One who has no boundaries. Scripture tells us that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
In Matthew 19:25, we find the disciples, the men who walked with God daily, who were privileged to bask in his presence, struggling with unbelief. When Jesus told them that it is easier for a camel to enter the Kingdom of God than it is for a rich man, the disciples were bewildered. During that time, many people believed that riches and wealth were proof of God's blessings. Therefore, they thought if a rich man, someone who was obviously blessed by the Lord, could not enter the kingdom then who could? When the disciples asked "Who then can be saved (Matthew 19:25)?", I can imagine Jesus thinking "Hmph, they just don't get it."
What the disciples did not understand was that it is not riches, in and of itself, that makes it hard for someone to enter the Kingdom of God. It is trusting in riches that makes it hard. Wealth is not our portion, God is our portion (Psalm 73:26). We are to be dependent upon God for everything. God desires for His people to totally rely on Him for their well being. When we place our trust in God, we are planting ourselves in solid ground.
This world that we live in has its limitations but God's reign is limitless. Whatever we are in need of, God can supply. God can perform miracles when our confidence is in Him. When I find myself in situations where my faith is tested, I don't want God to look at me and think "Hmph!" When God looks at me and sees my faith in action, I want Him to think "Well done good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23)."
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Thank you for reading Seeking After The Kingdom. I pray that this ebook has been a blessing to you. If you enjoyed these devotional messages, please consider writing a review for Seeking After The Kingdom and telling your friends and family about this ebook.
Jaye E. Seay is a Christian writer, specializing in devotional messages. Jaye is a graduate of both Hampton University and Howard University. Jaye is married to his lovely wife Jaime. Jaye and Jaime currently reside in Northern Virginia.
Jaye's mission is to inspire faith and provide encouragement through the Word of God. These devotional messages are born from Jaye's love for God. From his personal Bible study time, Jaye is led to share what he has learned by writing devotional messages. It is Jaye's sincere desire that many will be blessed by reading these devotional messages and that they will have a giant impact in the Kingdom of God.