"Seeking The Kingdom First"

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33 

The other day we talked about how we should seek/acknowledge God first in all we do. We should seek Him first before we make any decision-- not last after we have already decided what to do. While this is true and Biblical, seeking first the kingdom of God is more than just praying about a matter before you make any decision about it.

 

If you go back and read the whole chapter of Matthew 6, you will discover that in context Jesus is talking about your "affections"-- those things that you seek after, those things that you desire, those things that capture your attention, those things that you set your heart upon. 

 

In that chapter Jesus gives us the model prayer and concludes it by saying, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Then He makes a statement-- "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." From there He begins to expound on and warn us about where we place the desires of our hearts and what we place them on.

 

Jesus warns us not to seek after material things-- food, clothing, money, etc. But encourages us to seek after the things of the kingdom. The heathen seeks after these things (wealth, fame, prestige, material things) but we are to seek God. Our first priority should be to seek God and what pleases Him-- not what pleases us. We are to seek His kingdom-- His will, His plan, His purposes. We are to seek to live righteous, holy, surrendered, obedient lives. We are to seek to glorify Him, make Him known to others, fulfill His commission, do what He has called us to do and live to honor Him. When we will seek God and His will first, when we put His kingdom first and place ourselves last, we won't have to seek after the necessities of life, He will provide for our needs. 

 

So, are you seeking God and asking Him what His will is before you make a decision? And are you seeking God's kingdom or seeking your own fleshly desires? Do they have your heart? Or does He have your heart? Are you setting your heart on material things that perish with time, that moths eat up and rust corrodes? Or are you setting your heart on eternal things that never pass away?

 

Have a great day. Are you seeking your own desires? Or are you seeking the kingdom-- God's desires? 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 6