He who has an ear.... Let him hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying!!!!!!
Do you know what the number one priority of Jesus was/is? I know... it's a loaded question right? But, I think the answer is more plain than we may have realized. And not only is it plain, but Jesus was very out and open about it. So much so he talked about it over 120 times before He left this planet.
"But seek ye FIRST the KINGDOM of God AND His RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33 AMP
In this case not only is it a priority... It's THE priority! It's pre-eminent above all else. Above every other task. This ONE thing comes first. To know the King's way of doing things and seeking to become rightly aligned with that way and mind set. Maybe, you would say to me, "But Jason, what about my family and church body... shouldn't they come first? Shouldn't my wife and child be the MOST important thing?" And the answer is simply...No. Unless you and I have an accurate view point and filter with which to live this life we can't even begin to care and serve our families or local assemblies the right way... The KING's way.
This way of thinking requires us to change our CONCEPTS about life and the way we live it.
I believe that the first place to start when seeking the priority of Christ Jesus is to start with our own concepts of what that priority is. Our Concepts of what KINGDOM is. Our concepts of what RIGHTEOUSNESS is.
I have been reading this book by Dr. Myles Munroe called Rediscovering the Kingdom: Ancient Hope for our 21st Century World. In this book one of the first topics that Dr. Munroe deals with is our concepts. One of the significant statements that I have come across is, "There is nothing as powerful as a concept, and nothing more dangerous than a MISconception."
I believe that this very reason is why the first word out of Jesus' mouth when He began His ministry was "REPENT".
Repent is the word metanoeo which means literally to 'change ones mind for better'.
We have to REPENT because to seek this KINGDOM and RIGHTEOUSNESS... to know and understand the mind of Christ Jesus. Kingdom living requires a mentality shift.
A mentality shift away from the mundane and ordinary, away from a thought process that leaves us empty and longing for more, away from the simplicity and inaccuracy of old religious mentalities, away from .... well you can fill in the blank with your own things that hold you back.
"When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there, And coming to His own country, He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said 'where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And do not all of His sisters liver here among us? Where then did this Man get all of this?' And they took offense at Him. But, Jesus said to then, 'A Prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.' And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief." - Matthew 13:53-58 AMP
It's their lack of repentance... their inability and UNWILLINGNESS to change their mind sets that left them lacking a full expression/understanding of just WHO Jesus was and WHAT He could do to, for and through them.
"He replied, 'You've been given insight into God's Kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: To create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them." - Matthew 13:11-17 Message Bible
Harsh! Right?! But, needed. TRUTH. This is the kind of people that Jesus encountered back in His hometown. These are a people who couldn't shift their mentality from what 'thought' they knew to actual truth. They couldn't get past their previous concepts of who they knew Jesus was.
There has to be a change of desire. A change in the longing of the heart.
"Again, the reign of the heavens is like to treasure hid in the field, which a man having found did hide, and from his joy goeth, and all, as much as he hath, he selleth, and buyeth that field. Again, the reign of the heavens is like to a man, a merchant, seeking goodly pearls, who having found one pearl or great price, having gone away, hath sold all, as much as he had, and bought it." - Matthew 13:44-46 YLT
How badly do you want it? There is a saying that I grew up hearing and I never really understood it until I got older.
"The proof of desire is in your pursuit."
What is your pursuit... take a good look at it, because that is your priority. If it isn't the Kingdom and His Righteousness it WILL fail you. EVERY single time.
Consider this question, "Is your number one priority the same as our King's?" Now, don't give a quick answer. Really think about it. Look at what you are pursuing.
Are His words enough proof to you of the things that are MOST important?
OR will you go about your day, your week, your life still looking for something else to the be the MOSt important thing?
Maybe you are asking yourself the question, "How am I going to MAKE this happen? How DO I TURN this thing around? How DO I manage to BRING MYSELF out of ... fill in the blank....
The answer is YOU can't. And YOU are not supposed to.
" A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God." - Ezekial 36:26-28 AMP
Hi is LORD and KING. It's HIS Spirit that causes it to happen. It's HIS Spirit that causes you to walk in HIS ways. All you have to do is SURRENDER!!!!
So let me ask you again... Is your number one priority HIS number one priority?
Look at what you are pursuing. Is it time for you/us to surrender? To step outside of self and our little world and say.... Not my will, but YOUR'S be done!
I'll end it with this question.....
Who is your King? You OR .... CHRIST?
