Seek first?
Matthew 6:33 is a verse familiar to most. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus spoke these verses in the midst of addressing the issue of worrying about things - what to eat, what to wear, etc. Jesus reminded us that our “heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (vs. 32). But over the past few weeks I’ve had several conversations with the Lord about those two words - “seek first”. Jesus told us to seek first two things - the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. But our society, as usual, has duped us into believing just the opposite. If you stop to think about it, we are seeking all sorts of things. Material things such as bigger and better homes, newer cars, the latest fashions, a fatter paycheck. Social things such as fame, awards, trophies, status. Emotional things such as the acceptance of our peers, the love of our family, the approval of anyone and everyone. And we could fill up another three and a half pages of things that we seek after and still not scratch the surface. Lest you think that this doesn’t describe you, take an inventory of what you’ve spent your time on for the last 72 hours. And the question that is begging to be asked is, “Where does seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness fall in this list…first or somewhere down the page?”.
We have become a busy society. We have filled our time with all sorts of things. And we’ve trained our children to do the same. Our schedules are filled to the brim with school, work, piano lessons, sports practices and games, clubs, recreation, and a myriad of other things that we’ve made it virtually impossible to truly seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Nothing is off limits anymore. Sundays are just as busy as any other day of the week, and unfortunately, sometimes even busier than other days of the week. I had lunch with a dear friend today and we were discussing this very issue. Father’s Day is this Sunday. And we were lamenting over the fact that kids are spending the day on the ballfield instead of with Dad. And the same thing happened on Mother’s Day. If we can’t take time for family on these two important days, how can we hope to find the time in our schedules to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
The Bible instructs us to know God’s Word, to study it, and to live by it. Yet how often I’ve come to the end of my day and realized that I was so busy I had taken no time to pay attention to this basic exercise of the faith. The Bible also tells us not to give up meeting together - to make it a priority. Contrary to what some may think, you cannot live an obedient life to Christ and avoid His church. But in too many cases, going to church is what we do when we don’t have something else planned. Who or what are we seeking first?
As a parent, I understand the pressure to make sure my kids succeed. But the first thing that I want my sons succeeding in is in their walk with Christ. Too often we press and push our kids to be the best they can be in their music lessons or on their sports teams, but are we challenging them even more and showing them by example the importance of seeking FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness?
I shared with our youth last Sunday night the following story. Three years ago at our annual Youth Camp, the speaker told us of a town in Illinois. In that small town, a group of teens began to press in and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Before long, they were leading their classmates to the Lord. As a result, an amazing thing happened. So many kids were being saved, that the school encountered a difficult situation. Teens were so committed to seeking first the Kingdom of God that the school had to literally shut down on Wednesday nights and Sundays because all the teens were in church! The school had to cancel basketball games, tennis matches, choir concerts, drama plays, and marching band practice because kids were choosing to go to church instead of extra-curricular events. The following year, the school made it a policy not to schedule ANYTHING on Wednesday evenings or on Sundays, because they knew that no one would show up!
Some may say that this idea is a bit rigid. But do we really believe that Jesus meant what He said when He spoke the words “seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness”? Something for you to think about…