February 17th, 2025
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
If you ever want to have the best time of your life, play Hide and Seek in the dark with some friends! As I'm sure you're familiar with how to play the game, one person is selected as the "Seeker" while the rest of the players hide. The goal of the game is quite simple. If you are hiding, avoid being found by the Seeker; if you're the Seeker, find the other players who are hiding. As the Seeker in the game, it goes without saying that if you intend to win, some effort in looking is required. Especially if you're playing the game in the dark, you must do all you can to find the others. If you never move from where the game began and barely search all the hiding spots around you, you'll never find who you're looking for. To seek and obtain what one is looking for requires intentionality and activeness. This type of active desire to find and receive is the seeking God calls us to have for him in this verse.
"seek first his kingdom and his righteousness."
Over the past few devotionals, we've discussed the need for an authentic and singular love toward God if we are to give him God our hearts entirely. We've highlighted the need to have God as number one in our lives, and in this verse, we see how putting God first ought to look.
The verse of this devotion takes place in Jesus' most famous series of teachings, the Sermon on the Mount. It is a teaching imploring individuals to adopt a new way of living that reflects the kingdom Christ was bringing forth and that we, as believers, are a part of. In this particular portion of the sermon we are discussing today, Jesus invites those in the crowd of listeners to commit to lifestyles that prioritize the concerns of God over earthly concerns. Jesus calls his listeners to invest their time, resources, and energy into actions that will last from now into eternity, to devote their lives to God over other things humans need, and to not worry over their needs, but, as the verse states "seek first his kingdom," trusting that God will take care of these needs.
This word "seek" hints at how we can prioritize God and his kingdom. Like a good game of hide-and-seek, genuine seeking is not haphazard or accidental but requires intentionality and effort!
As believers in Jesus and subjects in the kingdom that God rules over creation, we are active participants, called to shape the world to fit the culture of God's kingdom by leading the way in our behaviour. This means prioritizing the search for what God wants concerning how he desires his world to be and living out that desire over other wants.
But how can one know God's wants? God has written everything he wants from us in the Bible! This importance of God's word is why we see in the Old Testament God encouraging Israel to study and meditate on his word day and night (Josh 1:8) and why your leaders encourage you to read the Bible daily. You can only seek God by knowing and then doing what he desires. The only way to know what God desires from our life is by reading his words in the Bible.
So, how can we seek God's kingdom specifically? Putting God first will involve prioritizing what the Bible says is essential and avoiding what the Bible says to avoid.
For example, sharing the gospel is something the Bible emphasizes as important, so prioritizing time in our weeks to share the message of Jesus is a way we can put God first. Selflessness is also an example of something the Bible addresses as essential, so intentionally choosing to act selflessly and caring for the needs of others above our own is a way to put God first. Putting God and his kingdom first involves placing the concerns of God ahead of our concerns. The beauty of our God is that he has written the concerns he feels most significant for us to know in the Bible. If you follow the ways of scripture above anything else, you can be sure you are seeking God first.
Loving God more and showing his importance in our lives will not happen by accident. Putting God and his kingdom first involves actively determining what God wants for us and his world. We should live our lives intentionally and purposefully, thinking in our days, "How can I live well as a member of God's kingdom."
As we seek God first, we can be sure that all our other concerns or wants will ultimately be resolved in Christ. We'll continue this final thought in our devotional next week!
Challenge for the Week
Start each morning this week with the following prayer as a reminder to seek God first in all your decisions.
"Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning. As I sit here and pray, I remember that my life is not mine but belongs to you. Help me to put you first. Make your wants my wants, and allow me to hate what is against you. God, I will put you first today.
In Jesus Name,
Amen