First Things First

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Everything Jesus said in Matthew 6 builds to this verse. He told us about the birds and how the Father feeds them. Then He talked about the flowers of the field and how God clothes them in more beauty than Solomon (the wealthiest man recorded) ever wore. Then He told all of His followers, “Are you not worth more than they are?” Your Father knows what you need and plans to make sure you aren’t missing anything. So stop making those things the object of your pursuit and start seeking what God told you to seek.

The word seek in this verse means to pursue deliberately and persistently. Jesus made clear the kind of seeking we should do by putting the word “first” in front of it. We are not called to seek the Kingdom of God after we have spent time seeking our career or other priorities. We aren’t even called to seek it with the same priority as other things we are already chasing. The Kingdom of God is to take the first position in your pursuit, or you have the order wrong. The Kingdom of God is the way He operates, His government, and His authority here on earth. When Jesus said that all of us are to seek the Kingdom first, He was saying that we need to align with how God works before we try to make anything happen by our own effort and manipulation. Learn His ways. Follow His patterns. Operate under His authority. That is seeking the Kingdom before anything else.

Watch what happens when you get the order right: “all these things shall be added unto you.” It is not that the things you are seeking will be added. When you seek the Kingdom, the things you weren’t even focused on just come. There is a significant difference between seeking something and having it added to you. Most believers are seeking God for things. They want provision or answers to their material needs. But God wants us to seek His Kingdom and His way of doing things. When we do that first, God will handle what needs to be added.

Practical Application

Honestly look at your life and ask whether what you are actually seeking is the Kingdom and God's way of doing things, or the things you want God to provide? Make one practical adjustment today that reflects the correct priority. Seek Him first and trust Him to handle the addition.

Proverbs 3:5; Psalm 37:4