“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Could it be that we underestimate just how much our Lord knows about each one of us? Think about this for just a moment. Is He not our Creator … of course He is … because the Bible tells us so.
The Bible also tells us that as our Creator, “… He knows our frame …” (Psalm 103:14) Our “frame” meaning our formation because He formed us from the dust and even kept watch on us in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16). He knows what we are made of even as He knows exactly how we are made … our strengths and weaknesses and everything in between.
We ought to all recognize just how much the world and its treasures are vying for our number one priority and it can be and often is a struggle … a tug-of-war! And as we make our journey in life we soon discover that what might seem to be priority number one at one moment fades into the background the very next day. And so it goes … those new challenges … those appealing opportunities … and the world’s attractions present themselves as better than those of the day before.
Jesus addressed our need for focusing on priorities as He proclaimed the wonderful Sermon on the Mount … in the context of worry as only Jesus the Christ could do! With His beautiful and at times pointed words He brought clarity to what those who would be His disciples should be seeking first every day of one’s life!
A good way to begin each day is by declaring Romans 12:1 “… that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” And then living out the rest of that day as “a living sacrifice.”
The word “first” is not simply a reference to time but importance. Jesus is not saying to seek the kingdom of God first and then seek the things of this world. He is saying that seeking the kingdom is our only objective. “First” comes from the Greek proton from protos (leading, foremost, prominent, most important) means first in time, place, order, and importance. The word first indicates one’s ever-dominant concern.
God never promises a life of ease. He doesn’t guarantee freedom from sickness or death. He won’t keep us from personal trials and He never vowed to make us all rich. What he does commit to is meeting our daily needs … to being the One we can depend on … to being in control of all that goes on around us. That’s the point Jesus was trying to get across to his audience. We can trust God and don’t need to worry because he knows what we need more than we do.
We are commanded to pursue or seek God’s kingdom willingly and intentionally. It is a wise choice that we must keep on pursuing all of our lives.
In light of this truth, we come to understand … there is no second! What if we chose to seek after God first and committed each day to match His character … what might our lives look like then?
All our God has ever wanted of mankind is “our heart” … yours … mine … ours … completely. No keeping anything back but seeking and searching for Him with “all of our heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) He assures us that He can be found!
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
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