God’s conditions concerning entering the kingdom of the heavens are according to His holiness and glory. God’s promises concerning entering the kingdom of the heavens are according to His love and grace. God is obliged to place conditions on us because of His holiness and glory. God is willing to give us promises because of His love and grace. His conditions speak of the responsibilities we must bear and the things we must do. His promises speak of the responsibilities He will bear and the things He will do.
1. “Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has been well pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
This word is so sweet! It is full of comfort and encouragement. This is truly a precious promise. Although the Bible tells us that it is difficult to enter the kingdom of the heavens, we need not be afraid because our Father is well pleased to give us the kingdom. Although it is difficult to enter the kingdom and we must labor to seize it, we should not be afraid, because our Father is well pleased to give us the kingdom. We must pay a price, pass through many hardships, and endure many sufferings to enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the Lord tells us not to be afraid because our Father is well pleased to give us the kingdom. Since the Lord has promised that God is well pleased to give us the kingdom, God must work on our behalf so that He can give us the kingdom. He must work in order to make us qualified to obtain that kingdom. Although God is well pleased to give us the kingdom, we also must be well pleased to obtain the kingdom. Although God is well pleased, whether or not we are well pleased to obtain it is a question that remains to be answered. If we are not well pleased to obtain the kingdom, it does not matter that God is well pleased to give us the kingdom, because He has no way to give it to us. But if we are well pleased, God has the way and the opportunity to come in and work so that He can give us the kingdom, or in other words, so that we can receive it. We should believe the Lord’s promises in His Word and give ourselves to God to allow Him to work in us and make us qualified to receive the kingdom that He desires to give to us. If we are willing to stand upon the Lord’s promises and offer ourselves to God by faith, He will certainly come in to do a work of grace in us and will continue to work in us to the extent that He has the position to give us the kingdom according to His pleasure.
2. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).
This verse is a great, rich promise. If we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will not only give us His kingdom and His righteousness but also clothing, food, and other necessities of life. This is a precious promise. If we seek first the kingdom of God, He will give us not only the kingdom but also all the things that are necessary for our living. If the Lord opens our eyes to see this precious promise, we will see that entering the kingdom of the heavens is no longer as difficult as we thought.
Many brothers and sisters feel they should love the Lord, give their all to follow Him, and pursue the kingdom of the heavens. However, they think that if they love the Lord, give their all, follow Him, and pursue the kingdom, they will have no way to make a living. Therefore, they live in the world for the sake of their livelihood and cannot follow the Lord in a good way. They also think that they will be forgiven because they had no other choice but to take care of their livelihood; however, this concept is wrong. Since the Lord promised that He would bear the responsibility for our livelihood, we should not allow these things to entangle us and prevent us from following the Lord in the way that enables us to pursue the kingdom of God. Since the Lord promises that all these things would be added if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, it is best to pursue the kingdom of God. If we are willing to pursue the kingdom of God today, God will not only give us His kingdom but also add all the things we need for our living today. Therefore, it is easy to pursue the kingdom of God based on this promise.
3. “Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you...How much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:7, 11).
These words are also a great and precious promise given to us by the Lord. If we ask, it will be given to us; if we seek, we will find; and if we knock, the door will be opened to us. This promise can be applied to all things, but according to the Lord’s word in Matthew 5—7, which especially emphasizes the kingdom, this promise particularly applies to seeking the kingdom. Luke 11:13, which refers to the same promise, says, “How much more will the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” In contrast, Matthew 7:11 says, “How much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him!” Although we dare not say that these good things refer only to the kingdom, in God’s eyes the kingdom is a good thing according to the central teaching of Matthew. Thus, according to the Lord’s promise, if we are willing to ask, seek, and knock, God will surely give us the kingdom, which He regards as a good thing. God is willing to give us the kingdom; therefore, if we are willing to receive it from Him, we should ask Him for it. If we are willing to ask God for it, He will give it to us.
Thus, the Lord’s promises in these three places show that God is happy to give us the kingdom. If we are willing to seek and ask, we will surely receive. If we would receive the kingdom of God, we should seek it by our living. We should not only seek the kingdom by our living but also ask God for it specifically. We should not only have a life that seeks the kingdom but also have prayers that ask for the kingdom. If we stand on the Lord’s precious promises and seek the kingdom of God by faith and ask for it, God will come in and work according to the Lord’s promises to cause us to obtain the kingdom that He is willing to give to us.