Pastor Randy challenges believers to seek God's kingdom first, and reveals what that really means in a culture obsessed with control through hoarding, selfishness, and worry.

THE PROBLEM WITH EARTHLY TREASURE:

Matthew 6:19-20 - "Don't store up treasures here on Earth where moths eat them and rust destroys them and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy."

Jesus' point is two-fold: (1) It's stupid to hoard because you can't take it with you when you die, and (2) When you store things up on earth, you become consumed with the desire for things.

THE RICH FOOL STORY:

Luke 12 - A rich man had a fertile farm producing fine crops. He said, "I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room to store all my wheat and say to myself, 'I have enough stored for years. Take it easy, eat, drink, be merry.'"

God said to him: "You fool. You'll die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?"

THE REALITY:

One-third of Americans use storage facilities. There are 50,000 storage facilities in the US, MORE than the total number of McDonald's and Starbucks combined. That's 2.1 billion square feet of storage space.

We're holding onto things we don't use, don't need, and will never use again, because they're OURS.

THREE WAYS WE TRY TO CONTROL:

1. Hoarding - Storing up treasures on earth; holding onto possessions
2. Selfishness/Tightfistedness - "What's mine is mine; I'm keeping it"
3. Worrying - Thinking about and trying to maintain control over our world

All three center around SELFISHNESS. We want more and more, and what we have, we want it to be ours. Then we worry we don't have enough.

THE REAL ISSUE:

Jesus says: "Seek God's kingdom first."

But most people think of "kingdom" as territory, possessions, things. That's not what it means.

King Herod was king over territory, but he didn't possess it, the Romans did. Herod just made the laws and collected tribute.

Kingdom of God is not about earthly things. It's about God's kingly rule over your life.

When Jesus says "Seek God's kingdom first," He's saying: "Seek first that God is in control of your life."

NOT A PRIORITY LIST:

If God is priority #1, there's a #2, #3, and #4. When you do those things, you forget about #1.

Jesus is saying: Let God be the ONLY priority in your life.

When you do that, everything else falls into place, running a distant second.

THE CHALLENGE:

Are you a hoarder? A tightwad? A worrier? Most of us are at least one of these.

First, recognize it. Tell the Lord: "I worry. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

Then, stop trying to retain control, whether through hoarding, selfishness, or worrying.

Let God take control. He knows better anyway.

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