Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also. – Luke 12:31, Amplified Bible

So few Christians lead what is commonly called the “victorious Christian life.” Though the complete definition of this term may vary from person to person, in sum the victorious Christian life is one free from the slavemastery of the old sin nature and one filled with the joy and heart peace of God, no matter what our external circumstances might be. The reason so few Christians have obtained this prize is because few Christians have ever put into action the truth of Luke 12:31.

In Luke 12:13-31, Jesus addresses the constant human battles over greed and worry. Jesus’ plan for victory over these sins is not to work harder, work smarter, or obtain more education. It is simply to seek first His kingdom, and then all of those things we need will be granted to us.

Please don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with working harder, working smarter, or improving oneself through education – IF the motivation behind these actions is to more effectively strive for God’s kingdom. If, however, these pursuits are motivated soley by a desire to get more for oneself, then these pursuits feed the greed and the worry, not the work of God. Such efforts, then, will prop up sin in our lives, not the victorious Christian life.

Every one of us has a role to play in striving for God’s kingdom. God has appointed some to be wise and savvy business people who, at God’s behest, have been appointed to generate wealth for the furtherance of His work. Others have been purposed by God to a more modest life, and they have been appointed to a work characterized not so much by wealth as men see it, but by wealth as God sees it. No matter what our lot in life, we have been placed where we are to further His kingdom, and if we substitute the building of His kingdom with the building of our own, God will oppose us. This should come as no shock to us, for James 4:6 says clearly that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. When we seek our kingdom rather than His, then we have pursued the path that our pride has laid out, not the path that God has laid out.

Examine yourself. Can you say that the motivation behind your every action is to further the kingdom of God? If you can honestly answer, “Yes,” then more power to you. Keep doing what you are doing. But, if you cannot answer “Yes” with a clear conscience, then it is time to get serious about why you are here on this planet. Quit deceiving yourself. Be honest with yourself and with God. Lay selfish ambition on the altar of the Cross, and pray to God that He will, at this moment, mold you into the vessel for His kingdom that He has always intended you to be. Once you do that neither greed nor worry will have dominion over you any longer, for you will trust in your heart that God will provide your every need, just as He said.

Is not the laborer worthy of his wages? (Luke 10:7)