Seek First

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”—Matthew 6:33

There are many choices that we are faced with in life—education, profession, marriage, and a host of others. But which do we seek first? What is the number one priority of our life? Is it pleasure? Is it comfort? Money? Power? Fame? Prestige? Security? What is the number one goal of your life? Think about it. What are you motivated by? Or better yet, what is the first thing that you seek to which everything else is subservient?

I have encountered several people over the years, who say that they believe and trust in Christ. But actions most often prove more reliable than words and when faced with a difficult choice in life that somehow threatens their number one priority, they crumble. For example, a young lady wants to follow Christ, but she also wants to marry. As the years go by, she begins to get nervous because there doesn’t seem to be that many men around who are following Christ. The pool appears to be a bit thin. She begins to wonder, “What if God doesn’t want me to marry, even though I really want to?” She starts looking outside of the church at anyone who will pay her attention. She begins to compromise her faith, her integrity, and her purity all because she believes the lie that God doesn’t want what’s best for her. And so the story goes in the lives of many different men and women.

The Bible teaches that the only right motivation for us is to seek God first. When we seek God first everything else becomes much clearer. As Jesus said,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”—Matthew 6:25-33.

Jesus wanted us to know that when we put God first everything else is taken care of: food, drink, and clothing. And much more could be added to that list: mate, family, career, etc. It’s not that we don’t try to work and live life, it is that we must have an order of priority under which everything else must follow—and for the servant of Christ, that means pursuing Christ at all costs. It is only when we make knowing God and making Him known our number one priority that all of the other details in life come into focus.

How about you? What is your number one priority? What are you failing to trust God for? Where are you out of line? What are you worried about? Have you sought God over it? Even in the midst of tragedies and personal difficulties we are to make God our number one priority. Even when faced with the loss of his family, career, and personal health, Job trusted and so should we.

May God enable each one of us to seek Him and His righteousness above everything. May we seek Him who alone is truly good and desires our best, because in doing so, we will experience the joy for which we were made—knowing and trusting in Him. Amen.