I was talking to a friend the other day, and the discussion went to Matthew 6:33 where it states “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you.”
The question came up as to what was all included in “all these things.” Well, if you go back into the context of what was being talked about, Jesus mentioned food, drink and clothing, which are the necessities of life. Jesus is promising that if an individual will decide to put him first in his or her life and allow him to transform them from the inside out, then their basic needs will be met.
There are other things that could be included under basic needs. Everyone needs some type of shelter. People need to have a level of peace in order to survive. Humanity needs some type of fellowship with others to be emotionally healthy, which definitely can be found in communion with other believers in Christ’s kingdom. The Lord understands that in every culture there are different necessities in order to survive. For instance, in the American culture some type of transportation is necessary in order to work, which would include gas in most circumstances. Shelter would include some type of utilities. The truth is that our heavenly father knows our needs and has promised to meet them.
Sometimes, we can get confused and mix up our wants with our needs. I will say that many times we are able to see many of our wants fulfilled, but God has not promised us a mansion here, or a Lexus, or steak at a nice restaurant every evening, or vacations around the globe.
The key is to have an attitude that always puts Christ and his kingdom first in our lives, and then allow the Lord to direct our paths and add to our lives what he seems best. Then live a life of contentment with what God gives us.