Put God Kingdom as Number One Thing for Your Life

1. How wetin we need take different from wetin we want?

THE truth be sey, na small thing we need for life but we no fit count wetin we want. E be like sey many people no know sey wetin we need different from wetin we want. Wetin make am different? Wetin person “need” na something wey be sey if e no dey, e no fit live life. Example na food, cloth and where to put head. Na this things be wetin we really need for life. But wetin we “want” na something wey we go like get but we fit still dey live our life even if we no get am.

2. Wetin be some things wey people want get?

² Wetin people want no be the same because of where dem dey stay. For country wey money no too dey, wetin many people like na to find money to take buy big phone, okada or small land. But for country wey money dey, their own na to dey buy cloth wey cost, new house and to get the motor wey dey reign. Anyhow e be, person fit still enter trap. Person fit start to dey like property well well, e go want dey buy more more things whether e need am or e no need am; whether e get the money to buy am or e no get.

NO PUT EYE FOR BIG BIG THINGS

3. Wetin e mean to put eye for big big things?

³ Wetin e mean to put eye for big big things? Na when person dey put mind to get many many things instead of am to put mind for the things wey God like. Wetin dey cause this one na the kind thing wey person dey like, wey e dey put mind and wey be number one for im life. E dey make person get long throat. Person wey get this kind character fit no get plenty money or dey buy something wey cost well well. Even poor man fit get this character and e go make am no put God Kingdom as the number one thing for im life.—Heb. 13:5.

4. How Satan take dey use ‘wetin our eye like’ dey deceive us?

⁴ Satan dey use this world dey make us believe sey to fit enjoy life, we must get plenty property, whether we need am or we no need am. E sabi how to use ‘wetin our eye like’ take deceive us. (1 John 2:15-17; Gen. 3:6; Prov. 27:20) The world dey make different different things wey fit enter person eye and some of dem fine well well. You don buy something before wey be sey na advert or na the way dem take arrange am for shop make you buy am? How you feel when you come see sey you no even need am? This kind thing dey make life tire person. E fit be like trap, come even make us comot mind for things wey concern God like to dey read Bible, to dey prepare for and go meeting, and to dey preach every time. No forget wetin apostle John talk, e sey: ‘This world and everything wey e get dey comot.’

5. Wetin fit happen to person wey dey use all im life pursue money and other things?

⁵ Satan want make we dey pursue money and property instead of wetin Jehovah want. (Matt. 6:24) People wey be sey na to pursue money dem take all their life dey do no dey happy. Why? Na because e dey bring plenty wahala come for dem, e dey make dem dey think about only theirself, and dem no go fit put mind for God and im Kingdom again. (1 Tim. 6:9, 10; Rev. 3:17) E be like wetin Jesus talk for the story about one farmer. When the seed grow for where chukuchuku dey, all the other things wey person fit like come enter, kill the seed, and e no come fit produce fruit.—Mark 4:14, 18, 19.

6. Wetin Baruch example teach us?

⁶ Think of Baruch wey dey write for prophet Jeremiah. When e don dey reach the time wey dem go scatter Jerusalem, na im Baruch come dey ‘put mind for big big things’—things wey no go last. But the only thing wey e suppose put for mind na wetin Jehovah promise am, sey: ‘I go let you run comot with your life.’ (Jer. 45:1-5; ftn.) True true, God no go help anybody save im property for that town wey dem want destroy. (Jer. 20:5) As we dey near the end of this world, now no be the time to dey gather plenty property for ourself. Make we no think sey Jehovah go save us and our property, no matter how e cost reach, when great tribulation come.—Prov. 11:4, ftn.; Matt. 24:21, 22; Luke 12:15.

7. Wetin be the next thing wey we go talk about, and why?

⁷ Jesus give us better advice wey go help us know how to get wetin we really need for life. E no want make we comot mind for God side, begin pursue big big things or worry ourself too much because we want get wetin we need. This advice dey wetin e teach for Sermon on the Mount. (Matt. 6:19-21) Make we read and talk about wetin dey Matthew 6:25-34. E go help us dey sure of why e good make we continue to dey ‘put God Kingdom first,’ no be other things.—Luke 12:31.

JEHOVAH DEY GIVE US WETIN WE NEED

8, 9. (a) Why e no good make we too dey worry ourself because of wetin we need? (b) Wetin Jesus know about us and wetin we need?

⁸ Read Matthew 6:25. When Jesus tell the people wey e dey preach to sey ‘make dem no dey worry [theirself] about their life,’ na the same thing with sey make dem ‘stop to dey worry.’ Dem dey worry theirself about wetin dem no suppose worry. Jesus get better reason why e sey make dem stop. For person to dey worry imself too much about any matter, even the one wey serious fit cause wahala. E fit make im mind comot for the things wey matter pass for life—things wey concern God. Jesus warn im disciple about this matter reach four times for this Sermon on the Mount because e love dem.—Matt. 6:27, 28, 31, 34.

⁹ Why Jesus talk sey make we no dey worry about wetin we go chop, drink or wear, when e know sey na wetin we really need for life? E bad to worry if person no get this things? E no bad and Jesus self know that one. E know wetin people need to fit dey live life every day. Apart from that one, e still know sey ‘things go hard’ well well for im disciple dem wey go dey live for ‘last days.’ (2 Tim. 3:1) Work no go dey, things go cost well well, food no go plenty, and many people go poor well well. Even with that one, Jesus know sey ‘life better pass food and body better pass cloth.’

10. When Jesus teach im disciple how to pray, wetin e sey suppose be the first thing for their life?

¹⁰ For the starting of the sermon on the mount, Jesus teach the people make dem pray give their Father for heaven make e give dem wetin dem need to take live their life. E talk sey: ‘Give us wetin we go chop today.’ (Matt. 6:11) Another time, e tell dem sey: ‘Give us every day wetin we go chop for that day as we take need am.’ (Luke 11:3) But wetin Jesus talk for there no mean sey make we dey think only about wetin we need. Jesus still show for that prayer sey na God Kingdom suppose be first. (Matt. 6:10; Luke 11:2) Jesus come talk about how Jehovah no dey fail to take care of people, so that the people wey e dey talk to, no go worry too much.

11, 12. Wetin we learn from the way Jehovah dey take care of bird? (Go check the first picture.)

¹¹ Read Matthew 6:26. Make we ‘look the bird dem wey dey fly for up well well.’ As bird small reach, e dey chop plenty fruit, seed, insect, or worm. If to sey bird big reach human being, dem for dey chop pass us. Even with that one, dem no need to plant before dem see food chop. Na Jehovah dey give dem wetin dem need. (Ps. 147:9) But, no be im dey put the food for their mouth! Na dem go fly go find the food by theirself, but the food dey everywhere for dem.

¹² Jesus believe sey if im Papa wey dey heaven fit give bird food, e no get as e be wey e no go give people wetin dem need.^[1] (1 Pet. 5:6, 7) E no go put the food for our mouth but e go bless wetin we go do to fit get food or money to buy wetin we need. Sometimes, e go make other people give us wetin we need, from wetin dem get. Jesus no talk for the Sermon on the Mount sey Jehovah dey give bird house to stay. But we know sey na Jehovah give dem sense and things to fit make house for theirself. Jehovah go still help us get place where we and our family fit put head.

13. Wetin show sey we better pass bird?

¹³ Jesus ask the people wey dey listen to am, sey: ‘Una no better pass [the bird dem wey dey fly for up]?’ Wetin Jesus get for mind be sey e go soon die for everybody. (Compare Luke 12:6, 7.) Na only human being God send Jesus make e come die for; no be bird. E die so that we fit enjoy life wey no go end.—Matt. 20:28.

14. Wetin person wey dey wahala imself no fit do?

¹⁴ Read Matthew 6:27. Why Jesus talk sey nobody fit add join im life, even if e dey wahala imself? Because no matter how person dey wahala imself reach, e no fit add join im life. Instead, e fit make the person life short.

15, 16. (a) Wetin we learn from how Jehovah dey care for flower? (Go check the first picture.) (b) Which question dem we go ask ourself, and why we go ask?

¹⁵ Read Matthew 6:28-30. Who go sey e no like to get fine cloth? We like to wear fine cloth go preaching, meeting and assembly. But that one mean sey we go wahala ourself about wetin we go wear? Again, Jesus talk about wetin Jehovah make. For this one, e get wetin we go learn from how the ‘flower dem wey dey bush’ be. The flower wey Jesus dey talk about for here fit be the one wey oyibo dey call—gladiolus, hyacinths, irises, and tulips. All of dem fine. Dem no dey sew cloth wey dem go wear. But, when you see dem, dem fine well well! ‘Even Solomon with all im fine fine cloth wey e dey wear, no fine reach any of dem’!

¹⁶ No forget wetin Jesus come talk. E sey: ‘If na like this God take dey dress the grass wey dey bush, una think sey e no go fit give una cloth, una wey get small faith?’ Yes, that na wetin Jehovah go do! But the disciple dem no too get faith. (Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20) Their faith need to strong pass as e be and dem need to trust Jehovah. What of us? We believe sey e dey Jehovah hand to give us wetin we need and sey e fit give us?

17. Wetin fit make us no be Jehovah friend again?

¹⁷ Read Matthew 6:31, 32. Make we no copy ‘people wey no know God’, wey no believe sey our Father for heaven love us and e ready to help anybody wey dey put im Kingdom as the number one thing for life. We no go be Jehovah friend again if we begin pursue the things wey ‘people wey no know God dey find by all means.’ But make we get am for mind sey, if we do wetin we suppose do; dey put God matter as the first thing for our life, Jehovah no go ever let good thing pass us. As Jehovah people, ‘if we get wetin we go chop and wetin we go wear, make we let am reach us.’—1 Tim. 6:6-8; ftn.

GOD KINGDOM NA THE NUMBER ONE THING FOR YOUR LIFE?

18. Wetin Jehovah sabi about us one one, and wetin e go do for us?

¹⁸ Read Matthew 6:33. God Kingdom na wetin Jesus disciple suppose dey put as the first thing for their life. If na so e be for us, then we go fit enjoy wetin Jesus talk. E sey: ‘[God] go add this other things join for una.’ Wetin make e fit talk like that? For verse 32 e sey: ‘Una Father for heaven know sey una need all this things,’ things wey we need to fit live life. Jehovah sabi wetin we need one one even before we know sey we need am—whether na food, cloth or where we go stay. (Phil. 4:19) E know which of our cloth go soon spoil and the kind food wey we need. E still know the kind house wey go good for us and our family. Jehovah go make sure sey we get wetin we really need.

19. Why e no good to dey worry about something wey never happen?

¹⁹ Read Matthew 6:34. No forget sey na two times now wey Jesus talk sey ‘make una no dey worry.’ E want make we remember sey everyday get im own problem and make we put mind sey Jehovah go help us. If person too dey worry imself about wetin never happen, e fit come dey trust imself instead of God. And that one fit comot am for Jehovah side.—Prov. 3:5, 6; Phil. 4:6, 7.

DO GOD WORK AND E GO GIVE YOU WETIN YOU NEED

20. (a) Which kind plan fit help you do more for God work? (b) Wetin you fit do to make your life simple?

²⁰ If we begin dey find money and property come forget God Kingdom, we go be like person wey dey pursue breeze. So make we dey plan our life to fit work more for Jehovah. For example, you go fit go join congregation wey their publisher no plenty? You fit pioneer? If you be pioneer, you don think am whether you fit go School for Kingdom Evangelizers? You go fit join do commuter work for Bethel or remote translation office? What of Local Design/ Construction, you fit join do the work part-time, even if na to build Kingdom Hall? Think about how you fit take arrange your life so that you go get more time to do things wey concern God work. Pray and think about wetin dey the box “How You Fit Make Your Life Simple.” Then make you start to do wetin go make your plan work.

21. Wetin go help us near Jehovah pass before?

²¹ Na good thing Jesus talk when e sey make we put God Kingdom first, no be money or property. This na because e go make us no too worry about the things wey we need. We go fit near Jehovah pass before because we trust am. And we no go dey buy everything wey we want or wey we see for advert, just because we get the money. If we make our life simple now, we go fit ‘hold the real life’ wey dey come tight.—1 Tim. 6:19.