Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness to do good things that would have shown the world he was capable of miraculous works. Studying the temptations of Christ is important for our spiritual lives because they are examples of the way Christians are tempted today. If you have a strong walk with the Lord, you are probably not going to be tempted to commit an awful crime or willingly do an evil thing. Instead, Satan often tempts those of us who are close to God to fill our lives with good things instead of things God most needs us to accomplish.

Jesus taught his disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” God wants to be our King, the Ruler of our lives. When our lives are governed by God, then our choices are about obedience to his commands rather than just making good personal choices. We are made “righteous,” meaning “right with God,” when we live submitted and obedient to God’s leadership in our lives.

How does God lead? Our Bibles teach us how to know God and therefore recognize his will and his voice in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our gift of the Lord’s Presence to guide us and strengthen us to accomplish his will. Our job is to remain so close to God that his voice is easily discernible from all others.

As a disciple, we are not called to simply choose good things to do for ourselves. We are called to know God and discern his will, choosing to obey the “God-things” that we are assigned to accomplish by his directives. 

Jesus said that if we will seek God’s priorities in our lives and desire to live a righteous life “all things will be added” as a result.

Our first priority is to know God’s will, his plan for our days. God’s blessings are the result of obeying all that he has called us to accomplish. When we stand before our Father one day, our eternal rewards will be the results of our earthly submission and our choice to obey his calling in our lives.

Yielding to God’s wisdom is spiritual strength. Let’s not settle for the good things the world applauds. Instead, let’s seek God’s will, God’s calling, and choose to do those things that make us right with him as our King. Then can the promise of his blessings be added to our lives now and eternally.