One cold day by the ocean, I was earnestly seeking God’s direction. There I felt distinctly prompted to relinquish, dump, forget all the life goals I had at the time. Every one of them.
Ahhh!!!
In their place—and I am convinced the Holy Spirit was doing this because it was so clear and against my will—I was to “do the Matthew 6:33 thing.” That reads: “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
This verse says that above everything else in life, we are to seek God’s heavenly reign as it comes to earth here and now. This encompasses all we do. And above everything else we are to seek a redeemed and right relationship with God. This encompasses all we are. With those things in place, and everything else secondary, God will provide.
Did you get that? It is the primary ethic of the Kingdom of God. Read the above paragraph again.
Matthew 6:33 works great for lip service—but in reality? Hmmm . . . We say we want to put God first, but we love our stuff, and we like to get our way.
How true is this in your life: You want to put God first, but you love your stuff, and you like to get your way.
Of all the themes in the Bible, the Kingdom of God is the most central. It takes form in the Old Testament, explodes through Christ on almost every page of the gospels, and is carried on through the message and mission of Paul and other New Testament authors to culminate in the Book of Revelation.
When we seek his kingdom and righteousness first, it means that we prioritize God’s purpose and relationship above all other things. Very demanding. But if we think about the attached promise that God will provide for all our needs in return, we’ll realize something unexpected: It’s the best deal in town. It really is. We can’t lose. Put God first in all we do and who we are, and he provides for all our needs. It does take humility and trust. And he doesn’t promise to fulfill all our wants—but frankly, that’s a good thing because sometimes God saves us from ourselves.
Is there an area in your life, in what you do or who you are, that in an particular way, you could put under God’s kingdom and righteousness as you seek him first?
Would you?
Imagine what could happen. . . .
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Photo credit: rgbstock | Gabriel77
