The Lord gives us a powerful promise if we seek His Kingdom before seeking all other things in life.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33
The Lord’s promise is powerful when we break down the above verse and gain an understanding of His heart and His desires. He tells us to see fully seek His Kingdom. What does it mean to seek His Kingdom!?
According to Strong’s Dictionary (To Seek);
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to seek in order to find
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to seek a thing
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to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into
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to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after
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to seek i.e. require, demand
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to crave, demand something from someone
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The above definition of the word “seek” tells us that when someone is in the mode of seeking, they are striving, desiring, and meditating on what they seek. Basically, they live and breathe what they seek. This becomes their mission and focus in life. When we seek something, it means that we have not fully attained it, but we are looking for more of it in our lives.
If you have ever watched Shark Tank on TV, you have seen the sacrifice of some of the entrepreneurs. The ones who have been successful have sacrificed endless hours of time, money, energy, and focus. Many of them didn’t even know much about the business world, but somehow they figured it out and became successful in their endeavors.
Similarly, if we want to see the Kingdom of God on the earth, we need to seek it more than any other thing in life. Seeking Him does not require any special expertise or education, but it does need our heart and our focus in life. Many of us seek education and career advancement with passion and intensity. We have no problem sacrificing energy and time to achieve our goals and objectives. What if we sought God and His Kingdom with that level of passion, sacrifice, and consistency!? How could that change our lives and the lives of those around us!?
The above passage gives us another insight. Seeking God’s Kingdom is tied to His righteousness. If we want to seek God’s Kingdom, then we need to desire His righteousness as well. Seeking God’s righteousness sometimes will cost us letting go of our desires. The world’s version of enjoyment is eating, drinking, and living it up. For God’s people, our version of enjoyment is when we see God’s Kingdom and His righteousness advancing on the earth.
The Lord desires for us to passionately go after His Kingdom and His righteousness. In Psalm 23, David wrote that He restores our soul and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (See Psalm 23:3). When we invite the Lord into our lives, He begins the work of restoration. However, the work of restoration would not do us any good if we go back to how we lived our lives before Christ. So the Lord makes it His responsibility to lead us in the paths of righteousness. Now that we belong to Him, we become His representatives on the earth.
There are at least three reasons why God leads us in the paths of righteousness. First, living a righteous life will speak loudly of our Shepherd and God’s character of righteousness. When we walk in God’s standard of righteousness, we show a clear and truthful picture of God’s righteousness to those who are lost. Second, we represent the Kingdom of God and His governance to those around us when we live righteously. Third, only in living righteously that our soul remains intact from the pollution and the breakdown that is in the world. When God restores our soul, He wants us to guard our restored soul, and that is only possible when we stay away from darkness and the worldly system and walk in the paths that He has for us.
Finally, in the above verse (Matthew 6;33), Jesus gives us a powerful promise that all the things we need will be provided for us when we put the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. Praise the Lord! We don’t need to strive like an orphan who has to provide for himself/herself. Instead, we have a Heavenly Father with a rich and abundant Kingdom who is willing and able to provide for us everything we need. Hallelujah!
How do we seek His Kingdom!? We seek His Kingdom by meditating on the word of God, striving to know God better, listening to His voice, and asking questions in trying to gain a better understanding of God’s will in our lives. Is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. your priority in life? If not, what do you need to change to make that a priority?
https://pixabay.com/photos/telescope-insight-outlook-view-122960/ by Hans