Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.

To seek something implies that you are giving importance to that thing. We naturally seek things that will benefit us, things that will improve our lives. What we seek or seek first can give a clear indication of what we prioritize in life. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Jesus wasn’t just saying nice words to make us feel better, He was setting forth a strong and sincere Kingdom principle that we as his followers are to put into practice. Jesus wasn’t laying down a hard law for his followers, he was showing us what he expects of his disciples. What we prioritize clearly defines who we are. Jesus said to seek the kingdom, and his righteousness, what did he mean by that? When we seek his kingdom we seek the things that advance God’s kingdom. We seek his kingdom first, it has to be first priority in order for us to eventually receive the other things, or these things that many of us seek first and wonder why God doesn’t bless us!

Jesus also said to seek the righteousness of God first. What did he mean by that? If we are justified by God grace, how could we seek to be justified, if it is the gift of God? I think what the Lord is saying is that if we rely on our positional justification we won’t be living out practical righteousness in order to demonstrate to others that we truly are living the gospel and that we truly follow the Master. When we seek the kingdom of Heaven this way, by living out our faith, and prioritizing the teachings and principles that Jesus taught, he promised that all the other things that we seek in life will eventually be provided for us.

Does that mean that if Christians do this they eventually get everything they ask for? I don’t think that is what the Lord means by all these things. He doesn’t say you’ll get everything, he says all “these things”. All “these things”are the things that the world seeks first, but Christians are to prioritize the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness first, the exact opposite of how everyone else is doing it. Jesus Christ is showing us that what really matters in life are eternal things, not temporal things. While we still have to live in the world, and use it’s resources, Jesus is commanding his followers to get their priorities right, because if we place more value on worldly things rather on heavenly things, we might actually fail in properly loving God and our neighbour, and thus not actually living up to the standard that every saint of God is supposed to demonstrate to the world. This is Mike.

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