Why is our human drive for things so strong? Because we believe that things will satisfy all our basic needs. As I pointed out in Chapter Two, there is little question that the meeting of needs is the ultimate motivation for all human behavior. The universal problem of humankind, however, is that in our e orts to meet our needs we expend all of our time, energy, and resources pursuing things that will never bring the satisfaction we seek. Why? Because we pursue the wrong things and look for satisfaction in the wrong places.
there that we nd satisfaction and ful llment. The Kingdom of God is the ultimate response to our needs. It satis es our longings and answers all our problems. Everything we humans seek is found in the Kingdom of God. Everything. Let me use this analogy: The Kingdom of God is the tree and the needs of people are the fruit. If you want the fruit you go to the tree.
Most people buy fruit at the grocery store or from a produce market. That’s ne as long as the supply lasts. What happens if the supply line is cut or a shortage occurs? Suddenly, access to the fruit is cut o . If you want to ensure a steady supply of fruit, wouldn’t it be better to own your own tree? That way fruit would be available whenever you wanted it.
In the world’s system, the world is like the grocery store where we all must compete for limited resources. There is no competition in the Kingdom of God because its resources are unlimited. Every Kingdom citizen can have his or her own tree with an unfailing supply of fruit. When Jesus said, “Do not worry about what you will eat or drink or wear for clothing,” He was asking, in e ect, “Why run after the fruit and compete with everybody else when you can have the tree? Seek rst the tree and all of the fruit will come with it.”
In a similar analogy, the Kingdom of God is the source and “all these things” are the resource. Why spend all your time and energy chasing resources when Kingdom citizenship and righteousness will give you unhindered access to the Source? Never try to live for or depend on resources because resources run out. Get connected to God,
the Source, because His resources never run out.
The pursuit of things never brings satisfaction because of one simple truth: We don’t need things to have life; we need
life to have things. Many people obsess over things because
they derive their sense of personal worth and value from their possessions. They “need” a nice car in order to feel important. They must wear brand-name clothes to enhance their self-image. They must always buy the newest and latest thing if they are to feel ful lled in life. Personal worth and importance are not found in these things, however. Self-worth and value are never found in things.
Our value and self-worth derive from who we are, not from what we have. We are of priceless worth to God irregardless of any possessions we own. Jesus used the example of the birds and how God feeds them even though they do not “sow or reap or store away in barns” (Matt. 6:26). He gives them the tree and the nest and the food simply because they are birds and need these things. The birds do not worry about it. They do not toil or sweat or chase after these things. They simply receive from the God who created them and who supplies everything they need to ful ll their purpose as birds. Then Jesus asks, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” In other words, if God supplies the birds’ needs because they are birds, won’t He also supply our needs because of who we are, human beings created in His image and much more valuable than birds?
Our innate importance attracts things. God does not give us things to make us important but because we are important. But we must never pursue things because that is
the wrong focus. Instead we must pursue the Kingdom— our citizenship credentials—and righteousness, which is our right positioning with the Kingdom government. Then, when we are in the right position, God will provide everything He deems needful and appropriate for that position. This is the same idea as how earthly governments will provide their ambassadors with chau eured limousines for o cial business rather than leaving them to putter around on motorbikes.
So the issue is not things, but living for the Kingdom. If all we care about is things, then we are on our own and must compete with the rest of the “pagans,” but if we are serious about serving our Government, our King will add to us everything necessary to do so with grace and in a manner that re ects most favorably on His Kingdom. In other words, if we are serious about serving and representing the Kingdom of God with righteousness, God will see to it that we are not forced to do so in a cheap or shabby manner.
God’s intent was ful llment without frustration. Jesus said, “Seek rst His kingdom and His righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).
Remember, as Lord of the universe, God owns everything. Nothing we have truly belongs to us and is not for us alone. When we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, He gives us all these other things in order that we may ful ll our calling as Kingdom ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.
Every human desires things. This is a God-given, and therefore godly, desire. What is ungodly is pursuing things
as gods. God wants us to have them but He also wants to show us how to acquire them in the right way and with the proper spirit. He wants us to have plenty of things but He does not want us to pursue them at the expense of our relationship with Him. He knows that there are things we need and want but He does not want the desire for things to control our lives.