All Things?

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV I had a bit of a revelation, an ah-ha!, a GOD moment, if you will--recently while conversing with a friend. As I've stated many times, Romans 8:28 is my life verse & I truly believe GOD uses "all things" for our good & His glory. Matthew 6:33 came to mind, also referring to "all (these) things." I began to ponder how many referneces there might be to "all things" in the Bible, so I began a search to find out. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to quickly search the New King James Version (the one I tend to utilize most) of the Bible & found all things mentioned 142 times. Obviously I won't try to show all of them but some stood out as having significant meaning to me. The first reference I found was in Genesis. How fitting! After man's fall & the Great Flood, as GOD was instructing Noah & his family to repopulate the earth He said "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs" (Gen 9:3). The next time it appeared was again in Genesis, this time relating to Abraham. Gen 24:1 says, "Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things." In searching further, I found "all things" again in 1 Chronicles 29:14--this time King David is speaking & says, "But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You." OK, I am sensing a pattern here. These 3 men were all known for their close relationship with and obedience to GOD. Maybe there is a connection... Moving into the New Testament--as Jesus was preparing to go to the cross, He prayed--saying, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." Bouncing right along to the book of John, we come to John 21:17--"He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep." Then there is my all time favorite, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). . In Philippians we are told, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13) There is also 3 John 1:2, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." And finally in Revelation, we find "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Rev 21:7) In these, it appears that "all things" are conditional once again to being in close relationship with and obedience to GOD. Hmmmm... Here's my take on it. Our priorities are seriously out of order in this world. We seek after material things as if we will possess them forever. Our efforts to gain more & more material wealth distract us from what is truly important. GOD does want to bless & prosper us and He promises just that if we follow His Commandments & teachings. However, I suspect our perception of prosperity & GOD's idea of prosperity might not be the same. True, prosperity comes in the form of material possessions on earth, but Heaven has no need of material things. Heaven is filled with everything we will need for eternity. The only possible thing missing are the souls we should be bringing with us if we are obedient to GOD's command to go into all the world, making disciples, baptizing and teaching them in the ways of GOD (Matthew 28:19-20). We must seek after the things that have eternal value rather than things we will leave behind when we go on to Glory. I know I often miss opportunities to be a witness for Him. I seek forgiveness daily for my shortcomings. When I reach Heaven, I want the crown I lay at Jesus' feet to be filled with precious jewels. He gave His life for me, I should serve Him faithfully with mine. What about you...? Blessings! Tony