Prayer for Bible Namibia and World Campus Mission

Below, I am pasting Shepherd Abraham Victor's Message for your prayer support for the prayer topics for the campus mission. Please also remember his wife Betty's  strong health, and their son Philip to grow as a shepherd for the nation

Morning Message 1

 (Matthew 6:25-34)

SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Abraham Victor

Namibia UBF

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (33)

We have multitude of desires to show off to others, the desire to store up earthly treasures and the desire to dominate others and rule others. The disciples had left everything to follow Jesus. Still they had a multiplicity needs, desires and hidden worries about their life, what they will eat or drink; or about their body, what they will wear (25). They worried about future security situations. 

Still, worry is man’s sinful habit and deeply rooted in the sin of unbelief. So Jesus says in verse 25, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life….”What to eat or what to wear is unnecessary worry, because God provides all our necessary things. Verses 26, 27 say, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feed them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”(26) “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (27) Verse 28 say, “And why do worry about clothes, See how the lilies of the field grow, they do not labor or spin”. Verses 29, 30 say, “Yet I tell you that not even Salomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these” (29). “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith (30)?. Verse 31, 32 say, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’(31) “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” “But what should Jesus’ disciples do? Look at verse 33. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

The pagans sought for themselves- their own human dream, comfortable lives and happiness. But Jesus’ disciples had to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness. God’s kingdom is the spiritual kingdom God rules over. The verb “seek” is an active word. It means to actively pursue as one’s goal in life. To seek his kingdom means to seek that our hearts be ruled by God, and for the dominion of the devil to be shattered and God’s rule be realised on earth. To seek his righteousness means that we strive to have the right relationship with God, and God’s will be done on earth. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” There is a clear priority. The priority is not to seek first improving our human conditions but to seek God’s rule over us and over the world. Each day we make tens or hundreds of decisions. For example, on the Sunday morning, we must make a decision; “Shall I go to the worship service or go out to see a friend?” Jesus gives us a clear direction; “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”

What promise does Jesus give us? “all these things will be given to you as well.” Here the words “all these things” refer to all - material, health, food, clothes, a good degree, a job, happy marriage, friends. The words “as well” mean God is not only pleased with us seeking his kingdom and blesses us spiritually, but also he gives us all we need to live as his children in this world. Money and blessing, healing and heath, happiness and long life are in his hand. Every good and perfect gift is in his hand. (Jas 1:17) The words “all these things will be given to you as well” are a very clear promise of our Lord Jesus. We have urgent things that have to be done. We have practical matters we love to do. But if we first seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, he will bless us spiritually and also surely give us all those things as a bonus. The secret to a successful and fruitful life is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

Matthew, the author of this account, had thought that money could make him happy. When he sought first money, he lost friends and his clean conscience. He was not happy. He got money but lost the meaning to his existence and he suffered from loneliness, guilt and separation from God. After he met Jesus, he found what he had to seek first. He followed Jesus. Out of his experience of life, he says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

I studied Bible with missionary James Lee in 1993 and he left Namibia in 1995. He appointed me as a successor whom I was like a child. I accepted to be a director of Namibia UBF. When I tried to seek God’s kingdom first,   even though I was a young and did not know what to do, God helped me to graduate University of Namibia, I could get a job as a government official. After missionary James’ family left Namibia, I was lonely and did not know what to do. Many UBF coworkers prayed a lot for me.  By God’s grace, I could establish a beautiful house church with missionary Betty of Uganda. God has blessed our family and we could have a house and car. Now I am working as a chief economist in the National Planning commission in the office of the president. We are serving University of Namibia. At first, we went to school and had a regular Bible study at school. We used to have 20 students for Bible study. It was not easy to serve sheep with all my heart.  I had to serve God’s mission without any Korean missionary. It was not easy to cowork with my cowoker for our cultural difference. It was not easy to prepare Sunday’s message and prepare Bible study material. We had many sheep but they left one by one.  Once my house was robbed and cost of living is too high. My coworker also is working and studying, so we have no enough time to serve God’s sheep. I have many reasons why I could not seek his kingdom and his righteousness. But while I am preparing this message, I could not but repent my lack of faith. I have realized that seeking God’s kingdom and his righteousness is the secret of overcoming worries. If I do not seek his kingdom, I will be in the chain of worrying of lives. But I hold on the promise of Jesus, “But seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given.”  I pray to seek his kingdom with all my heart. I pray to study the word of God deeply and prepare heart moving message. I pray to be a director in the president’s office.  I have to work a lot but first, I want to go fishing and do one to one. I believe that God will bless Namibia and raise one man of faith through our house church ministry. 

In conclusion, I have learned that I must overcome my habit of worrying, unbelief and lack of mission.  I must learn to whole heartedly depend on God and to trust him only. I must seek God’s glory, not self-glory. I must seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, so that God can help me and while doing his ministry. If you seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness all other things will be given to you as well. Let’s read key verse “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”