"Strive First for the Kingdom of God" 4-1-08

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the King of the kingdom of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You are One with the Father and One with the Spirit. And You are One in me through the communion of prayer. ... "But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). Teach me how to strive for the kingdom, and at the same time, rest in the King. Teach me how to strive for Your righteousness, and at the same time, trust in Yours alone. I know these are "keys of the kingdom" that You've placed into my hands and want to seal into my heart. Your kingdom does not just passively come, that's why You taught us we have the responsibility to pray for Your kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). That's why You taught us to strive for the kingdom. It's all by Your grace and according to Your will, but we have a part to play in the sovereignty of Your plan. It seems I hear You say: "My son, to strive for Me and My kingdom is to seek Me with all your heart. Let seeking Me and submitting your will to Mine be your priority and your perspective as best as you can and all by My grace. Then you will have found My kingdom. My kingdom is within you to the very degree you welcome Me as your King." Yes, Lord. Yes, my King. Come in to Your kingdom within me. "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21). Trusting in You and resting in You power, I choose by Your grace to strive for Your kingdom and welcome You as my King. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I'm excited to be invited on short notice to go to London, England this weekend to teach a series on "The Kingdom of God" for St. Marks Anglican Church's annual weekend away spiritual retreat in the English countryside. Their scheduled speaker fell ill and they've invited me to come stand in. Please pray for me to hear and share the Lord's word for His people as we encounter God together. This is the church with such an incredible history where I was able to minister briefly at a women's retreat last year with my good friend Heather Butler from Wales. Your prayer cover makes this kind of ministry possible. God bless you! Save the Date for May 2 to come join us for our annual Celebration Dinner in Lexington! Details will follow soon. Please let us know if you'd like to help or have some materials to invite others to join us to share our vision and celebrate all God has done this year! Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Resources On-Line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org