What is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Do you pick up your phone and check your social media feeds to see if you’ve got any new followers or likes? Or maybe you pick up the book you were reading the night before, eager to finish the next chapter? Do you go for a run or walk as part of your fitness regime? Or, do you pray?
Do you thank the Lord for the new day of life, for protecting and keeping you safe during the night? Do you pick up the Bible and read it to know what God is saying about the upcoming day and your life?
How Many of Us are Seeking the Kingdom First?
Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God” but how many of us are actually doing that? How many of us actually prioritise the Lord like we are supposed to? Or does God keep falling in second place to things that you feel are more important or dare I say, more exciting and interesting? Do prayer and reading the Bible and pursuing spiritual and godly things feel more like duties than joys?
Well, if that’s the case, there needs to be a change because God is not supposed to be an afterthought in second place. God is supposed to be front and centre in your life; He is supposed to be first.
God Must Be First
When you seek God and the things of his kingdom first, it sets the tone of your day and your life. When you place God in His proper place in your life, when you prioritise Him first then everything else will fall into line.
But putting God first may not come so naturally for some at the beginning. Things like turning to prayer when you’re in a troubling situation rather than venting to a friend. Or asking God for His guidance initially instead of simply stepping out and asking God to bless your efforts.
Before you can start seeking God first in the bigger areas of your life, you need to start small. Those means doing something as simple as reading the Word and praying first thing in the morning. Before you connect with the world connect with God.
All Things Will Be Added to You
When you seek God first you will find that all the things that you were initially concerned about, your health, money and your life get resolved. Things begin to work together without any strenuous effort on your part.
In Matthew 6:33 the complete verse reads “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
In context, the verse is speaking of our daily, physical needs such as clothing and food. But, I believe that so many other things are added to us as we pursue God first; as we really seek and love God with all our souls, mind and strength, when we put Him first in our hearts. (Matthew 22:37-38)
Even creative and good ideas pertaining to your work, better ways to love and conduct yourself amongst friends and family, all these things get added to you as well.
How Do You Seek God First?
Now comes the question, “How does one seek the kingdom of God first?” As mentioned briefly before, it starts with the small things and that is praying and reading the Bible. But whilst they may appear to be small, they are actually what will determine the growth of your faith and spiritual life.
Prayer and reading the Bible go hand in hand and these are two things you should pursue daily. Once your place the proper importance on these actions, your mind will be opened to other ways in which you can seek God’s kingdom first.
The First Step is Reading the Bible and Prayer
Prayer and time in the Word must become daily priorities in your life if you desire to seek God’s kingdom first.
The Lord has marked the way to live a life of godliness through the Bible. (2 Peter 1:3) He has revealed His heart and the heart of His kingdom in there as well. As you soak up Scripture and really saturate your souls with the Words of God, your mind will be renewed (Romans 12:2). You’ll begin walking in the righteousness of God that has been given to us through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Couple this with prayer, and when I say prayer I don’t mean coming to the Lord with a list of requests and nothing else. I mean really seeking communion with God, spending time (even if its brief) abiding in His presence, giving Him glory, seeking and hearing what He has to say about your life. When you do these two things, and you place them first, then Matthew 6:33 will begin to play out in your life.
The Second Step is Seeking God First in Your Everyday Life
Once you’ve made seeking the Lord in this way a priority, the next step is seeking God’s kingdom in your everyday life. This means walking and living in the way God tells us to in His Word. It means walking in forgiveness, in kindness and love and leaving behind the ungodly behaviour and actions. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
It means seeking God’s righteousness. Not your own self-righteousness which is filthy before God (Isaiah 64:6), not good works fuelled by your desire to be a good person, but God’s righteousness, and doing this in every single area of your life.
Start Today
As the popular adage says, there’s no time like the present, there’s not time like today. So start seeking God’s kingdom first today. Commune with Him and hear from the Lord in prayer, seek His wisdom and counsel through the Word and let this overflow into every area of your life. Then watch how your life changes, as your needs are met and all the beautiful and wonderful things that God has already blessed you with are added to you. In Jesus name.
