Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I heard about a man who was walking into a courthouse one day and he saw an old gentleman and a dog. He said to the man, "Does your dog bite?" The old man said, "No." So the man reached over and was going to pet the dog but when he did the dog nipped him. He pulled back and said, "I thought you said your dog didn't bite!" The old man said, "Ain't my dog." You've got to ask the right questions if you expect to get the right answers. Sometimes, people accuse preachers of asking questions that nobody's answering. The fact is, we're probably asking the questions that people ought to be answering. The average person today wants to know what's on at the movies, what's for supper and what will we do tomorrow. We really ought to be asking, Where is all of this going to end? What is life all about? Where did we come from? and, What are we doing here?

The term "Prime Directive" from Science fiction writer Robert Heinlein ("Space Cadet") and is popularised on the Star Trek series of TV shows.

In Star Trek terms, it was to "not interfere with alien cultures"

In Isaac Asmoov's "I, Robot" It was for Robot's to protect humanity. "Robocop" had this theme too.

But when you think about it, every invention has a Prime Directive. A Washing machine is to wash clothes.

An Iron is to iron clothes.

A car is to cost money.

You as a perosn have a Prime Directive. In fact, St Augustine put it this way." Addressing God in prayer he said, "Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are not at rest until they find their rest in Thee."

Balise Pascal said "there is a God-shaped vaccuum in every human heart that only God Himself can fill."

1. Your Prime Directive is a Personal Demand “SEEK ye FIRST”

In Papua New Guinea, the Pidgin English spoken is a very simple straight foreword language. Jeff and Joe will be learning this soon. “Nambah One!”

Psa 105:4 Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
Amos 5:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
1Chron 22:17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people. 19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God;

2. Your Prime Directive Is A Proper Demand

His Deity Demands It

Col 1:18 He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything.

His Death Demands it

1 Cor 6: 20 for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Fredrich Nietzche wrote: "The essential thing 'in heaven and earth' is...that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” That was dedication. Every step to Jerusalem was one of commitment and courage. With any stride He could have turned back. He knew what awaited Him inevitably in Jerusalem. Looming on His horizon was the cross of Calvary. His death was, as Nietzche said, "was what made life 'worth living'." It was His reason for being. He had a purpose.
1 John 4: 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His • One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 14 And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4: 19 We love because He first loved us.

WWII epic, “Saving Private Ryan.” It was based on a true story about four brothers who fought in WWII, and three of them died. Captain Miller leads his Ranger platoon deep behind enemy lines to find a single soldier. When they finally reach Private Ryan, they find themselves defending a bridge against overwhelming German odds. They man a brave defense, and in the process of the battle most of the Rangers die and Captain Miller is mortally wounded. In one of the most powerful scenes, Private Ryan, played by Matt Damon, kneels before Captain Miller. The captain, who was a high English teacher, husband and father, is bleeding badly and knows he’s about to die. So, he grabs Ryan by his collar and says, “James, earn this...earn it!” Then the movie flashes forward 50 years to an elderly James Ryan visiting the Normandy American Memorial Cemetery. With his family in the background, Ryan kneels before the grave of John Miller, overcome by emotion. He thinks back on his life and how he tried to live a life worthy of the sacrifice made by those brave soldiers. As he sinks to knees, his wife rushes to his side, and he asks her, “Have I led a good life? Am I a good man?” Realizing why he is asking that profound question, his wife pauses and says sincerely, “Yes, of course you are. You are a good man.” It’s at that moment James Ryan feels he has honored John Miller’s charge to “earn this.”

2. Your PRime Directive Has Practical Dimensions

“seek YE”

"A-P-A-T-H-Y." He underlined it twice, then slammed a huge exclamation point on it that broke the chalk as he hammered it against the board. Suddenly, one of the students up front frowned as he struggled to read the word. Unable to pronounce it, he leaned over to his friend, and asked, "What is 'a-paythee?" His friend yawned back with a sigh, "Who cares

Give the Lord your first Desires

Psa 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Give the Lord your first Day

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Give the Lord your first Dollar

Prov 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Give the Lord your first Devotion

Matt 22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important commandment.

3. Your Prime Directive Has A Powerful Dynamic

All these things shall be added unto you.

1 If you seek the Lord you will Experience Peace
”All these things shall be added unto you”

The Lord Jesus has instructed the disciples about true treasures

19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lord Jesus has instructed the disciples about the true focus of their lives.

25 “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky: they don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?

The Lord is showing that there is only one thing that deserves Numbah 1 place in your life. And He says that your heavenly Father will look after the rest.

2. If you Seek the Lord You Will Experience God’s Presence
Deut 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

CONCLUSION

Psa 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Psalm 42:1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

2Chron 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

# posted by Groseys messages @ 9:33 AM