Seek First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mt. 6:33).
If we truly wish to seek God’s kingdom first, the most important thing we can do is look carefully at all the things we seek second! When we have a clear picture of our goals in life, we can see how we are allocating our resources. In our youth we made many decisions. Some were by chance and others by design, but all now are making up who we are. Our quest for good grades, sports, friends, wealth, and/or sinful pursuits were created/chosen in our youth and set us on a unique path. We may not remember all the choices or even when they were made, but we can identify them by our interest. It is among these interests that competition for the kingdom will arise. It may not be one interest and many are morally neutral, but if we seek enough of them, they can make God’s kingdom second, not first.
Our fleshly desires continue to war against the soul. In stealth they seek to mask those things we love “more than me.” Only a sober evaluation will reveal whether we are truly losing “his life for my sake” (Mt. 10:37-39). When the kingdom is the “treasure hidden in a field” and “for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt. 13:44), we have to put everything on the table and add it all up.
Have we done this recently? Have we sat down and looked at how much time and money we spend and on what? Although there are many others, take one morally neutral realm: technology. The world spends more time and money on their DVR, Internet, smart phone and iPad, than they do serving the Lord and contributing on the first day of the week. Add it up! Satellite, Cable, Facebook, Craigslist, Netflix, Ebay and Kindle are great tools, but they may be taking far more time and money than we think. When we add in our hobbies and work could it be possible we have already sold the eternal kingdom of heaven back to gain all these temporary things?
When Paul found “treasure” on the road to Damascus, he “suffered the loss of all things,” and many years later still said “I count them as rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). He was vigilant to be certain it remained that way. “The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in” can indeed “choke the word.” Are we certain we are not already “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Mk. 4:18-19; Lk. 8:14)? Some don’t even notice until it is far too late.
Noah dropped all other pursuits to build the ark because he was warned of the flood and “moved with godly fear” (Heb 11:7). It was his trust in God that led him to “seek first” the ark. After that warning, everything else became secondary and he kept it that way. After the flood, in which all perished and that way of life was destroyed, Noah knew he made the right choice. What of us? “The heavens and the earth” are now “reserved for fire,” and “since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Pet. 3:7-11)? Are we listening as Noah listened? It may take longer, but “the Lord is not slack concerning his promises,” only “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
When an athlete makes the decision and “competes in the games”, he “exercises self-control in all things” (1Cor. 9:25-27), aware that even one bad choice can negatively impact the outcome. Nothing is overlooked. Food intake, exercise, training in the event, sleep, etc. all done to “seek first” “the crown.” He can’t afford to waste time on things leading away from the goal. This is what “seek first” means as an athlete. Like Paul who was a “professional spiritual athlete,” we should train as he did. “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” He assessed what he was doing, compared it to what he knew he should be doing, and then disciplined and subjected himself. We must do the same thing.
Our primary goals to “seek first” should include:
Who are we really serving? Who or what do we love with all our heart soul and mind? Never forget: “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me” (Isa. 45:5). When we truly believe these things, it is natural and easy to make the right decisions and to seek first God, God’s kingdom, and God’s righteousness.
If we truly wish to seek God’s kingdom first, the most important thing we can do is look carefully at all the things we seek second! When we have a clear picture of our goals in life, we can see how we are allocating our resources. In our youth we made many decisions. Some were by chance and others by design, but all now are making up who we are. Our quest for good grades, sports, friends, wealth, and/or sinful pursuits were created/chosen in our youth and set us on a unique path. We may not remember all the choices or even when they were made, but we can identify them by our interest. It is among these interests that competition for the kingdom will arise. It may not be one interest and many are morally neutral, but if we seek enough of them, they can make God’s kingdom second, not first.
Our fleshly desires continue to war against the soul. In stealth they seek to mask those things we love “more than me.” Only a sober evaluation will reveal whether we are truly losing “his life for my sake” (Mt. 10:37-39). When the kingdom is the “treasure hidden in a field” and “for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Mt. 13:44), we have to put everything on the table and add it all up.
Have we done this recently? Have we sat down and looked at how much time and money we spend and on what? Although there are many others, take one morally neutral realm: technology. The world spends more time and money on their DVR, Internet, smart phone and iPad, than they do serving the Lord and contributing on the first day of the week. Add it up! Satellite, Cable, Facebook, Craigslist, Netflix, Ebay and Kindle are great tools, but they may be taking far more time and money than we think. When we add in our hobbies and work could it be possible we have already sold the eternal kingdom of heaven back to gain all these temporary things?
When Paul found “treasure” on the road to Damascus, he “suffered the loss of all things,” and many years later still said “I count them as rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). He was vigilant to be certain it remained that way. “The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in” can indeed “choke the word.” Are we certain we are not already “choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity” (Mk. 4:18-19; Lk. 8:14)? Some don’t even notice until it is far too late.
Noah dropped all other pursuits to build the ark because he was warned of the flood and “moved with godly fear” (Heb 11:7). It was his trust in God that led him to “seek first” the ark. After that warning, everything else became secondary and he kept it that way. After the flood, in which all perished and that way of life was destroyed, Noah knew he made the right choice. What of us? “The heavens and the earth” are now “reserved for fire,” and “since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Pet. 3:7-11)? Are we listening as Noah listened? It may take longer, but “the Lord is not slack concerning his promises,” only “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
When an athlete makes the decision and “competes in the games”, he “exercises self-control in all things” (1Cor. 9:25-27), aware that even one bad choice can negatively impact the outcome. Nothing is overlooked. Food intake, exercise, training in the event, sleep, etc. all done to “seek first” “the crown.” He can’t afford to waste time on things leading away from the goal. This is what “seek first” means as an athlete. Like Paul who was a “professional spiritual athlete,” we should train as he did. “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” He assessed what he was doing, compared it to what he knew he should be doing, and then disciplined and subjected himself. We must do the same thing.
Our primary goals to “seek first” should include:
- Personal consecration and holiness (I Pet. 1:13-19), conquering our worldly lusts, and living soberly, righteously and godly.
- Being equipped to build up the body (Eph. 4:11-16) with evangelism, edification and benevolence.
- Worshipping God in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23-24).
- Knowing to do good and doing it (Jas. 4:17).
- Maintaining good works (Titus 3:8,13).
Who are we really serving? Who or what do we love with all our heart soul and mind? Never forget: “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me” (Isa. 45:5). When we truly believe these things, it is natural and easy to make the right decisions and to seek first God, God’s kingdom, and God’s righteousness.