Fulfilling God's Primary Purpose On Earth

God has a purpose which is clearly revealed early on in the New Testament. God has never changed His purpose. He’s working toward it consistently. And it’s stated in a very familiar passage, which we call the Lord’s Prayer.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

That’s the approach. That’s not a prayer, that’s an approach. And the first specific prayer is

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

What is the primary objective of God? It’s that His kingdom may come.

And we can only align ourselves with God and with His purpose when we are aligned with the coming of God’s kingdom. When everything we do is ultimately directed towards the coming of the kingdom of God. In the same chapter of Matthew, verse 33, it says,

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

And when God says ‘first,’ He means first. Not second or third.

In other words, our primary concern in life is to be the coming of the kingdom of God. I am naive enough to believe that there is no other solution for the ills of humanity. We’re confronted every day through the media with all the agony and the turmoil of humanity.

Personally, I think people are naive who believe that man can solve that problem by himself. I was somewhat shocked when President Bush, in connection with the Gulf War, said a new order was being initiated of justice. I consider that a remarkably naive statement for a leader of a great nation. And I like to say I will not buy into his new world order. I’m not impressed by it.

But man has entertained the idea for hundreds of years that he can solve his own problems, bring peace and justice to the earth. And I would say today we’re probably further away from it than we’ve ever been at any time in human history.

So I’m not ashamed to say that I believe the only ultimate, realistic solution for the human race is the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth under His appointed ruler, Jesus Christ. I don’t feel intellectually inferior for believing that. I don’t believe it’s a pious superstition. I believe it’s a realistic appraisal of the situation in the world and the nature of man.

So I am committed to the coming of the kingdom of God. And insofar as lies in me, with many weaknesses and frailties, my life is directed toward that end. Now, I happen to be a preacher. I have a teaching ministry. And by the grace of God, my teachings are now reaching practically every nation on earth in various forms: in radio, in video, in audio tapes, and in print.

That’s the practical expression in my life of my commitment to the coming of the kingdom of God. Now, you are not called to do what I’m called to do, but you are called to do something. And first and foremost, you need to get your priorities right.

It’s not “Seek the kingdom of God when it suits you,” or when you’ve attended to all the other things that concern you. Seek it first. And when God says ‘first,’ He means first. That’s number one of my recommendations: align with God’s purpose, which is the coming of His kingdom.