“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14).

Wait.

Not one of your favorite words? Me, either.

So, why would the LORD want us to wait? Wait for what?

What does it mean to wait? What is the posture of the person who is waiting on the LORD? What is the waiting person doing, while waiting for the LORD?

First, waiting for the LORD is not passive. The person who is waiting for the LORD is not idle. They are actively engaged in what they already know to be God’s will.

• If you are a husband or a wife? Be the most loving and faithful wife or husband while you are waiting for the LORD.
• If you are single, be holy and chaste. Delight yourself in the LORD and live everyday to the fullest while you are waiting for the LORD.
• If you are a student, boss, employee, do your best in your studies, business, for your company and customers while you are waiting for the LORD.

Second, the Hebrew word for wait also can be translated as “look.” So, the person who is waiting on the LORD, is constantly looking to God for guidance and direction. The person who is waiting on the LORD is looking at God and waiting for God’s go ahead.

One day you will see why God made you wait.

Finally, if you are currently waiting, know you are in good company.

• Joseph waited 13 years.
• Abraham waited 25 years.
• Moses waited 40 years.
• Jesus waited 30 years.

“Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:3).

Have you ever wondered why Christians ought read the Bible? Why is daily reading of the Bible so important for followers of Jesus?

Reading the Bible is only important if Jesus is important. There is no way to come to know Jesus apart from the Scriptures. If your information about who Jesus is comes from your feelings?…goodness. The only way we know who Jesus is through his word.

But, that’s not the reason why we read the Bible. We do not read the Bible for information. We read it for relationship, for fellowship.

Right information is very important. But we do not read the Bible for knowledge’s sake. We read it for relationship and fellowship with its author. How else are we supposed to have a relationship with Jesus? How do we expect Jesus to come and speak to us? In signs and wonders? Voices?

Jesus speaks to us through his word. So if we want to have a relationship and fellowship with Jesus, we do so through spending time in his word.

I love what A. W. Tozer wrote about reading the Bible:
My experience is to open up the Bible, get on my knees before this open Bible, and begin reading not in a race to finish, but in an attitude to receive. As I give God’s word priority in my life, he begins to honor that priority by unfolding to me what the word of God is all about.

Why read the Bible? Because that’s how we have a relationship with Jesus, and fellowship with him.

“Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

When it comes to Christ, addition never works.

Let’s say someone just became a Christian. The most natural thing to do is to add weekly worship, a Bible study or small group, and giving some money to the church on top of all the things you used to do. As far as lifestyle goes, not much has changed except that you’ve added an hour or two on Sunday mornings for worship and a weekday Bible study or small group, and you’ve started giving some money to the church.

This is what adding Christianity to the old life looks like. This is where most Christians are.

The only thing is this never works. You will never grow that way.

Jesus didn’t say, “Add my kingdom and righteousness to your already busy life.”

Jesus never said, “Add some holy Christian things to your previous ungodly life.”

That’s not following Jesus.

Jesus made it pretty clear, “Seek FIRST my kingdom and righteousness.” He’s not asking us to add him. He’s asking us to completely throw out our old way of living that led to death and darkness, and replace it with kingdom values and righteous living. It is the surrendering of our old way of living, our old values, our old dreams, our old practices and placing Christ front and center.

Worship, small groups, serving others are not additions. They are the foundation to the Christian life.

That is why when anyone is in Christ, “There is a new creation. The old has gone. Everything is new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Seeking Christ first is about putting God above all other things and only adding my hobbies, preferences, interests, and pursuits as long as they are consistent with kingdom values.

That’s what it means to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness.

Christianity is not about adding Christ. It is about throwing out the old, and replacing our old life’s values with Christ’s kingdom values.