"BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU." -Jesus Christ (Mat 6:33)
"Seek first the Kingdom of God," Jesus says in Matthew 6:33. "First thing and first place: live for this in all your life," is what Jesus is saying.
Now, I think there's two ways we can "seek" Christ's Kingdom.
First, we can seek it because we need it. Imagine yourself waking up in a dry desert, a distant land, baking under a hot sun--some days I wake up feeling like that! John Piper calls it "when I wake up feeling fragile." Ever visited a country where you don't speak the language? You've never been there before? You wake up and you feel very fragile--where do I get food? How can I find things out? You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Sometimes we come to our senses (Luk 15:17) and realize that we're not where we want to be. And where we want to be is back with Jesus, with a renewed sense of His love, His security, His wisdom and strength. In that situation we seek the Kingdom because we need it. We wake up and first thing we read our Bibles and pray. We attend whatever the church has to offer. We cue up our favorite Christian music and podcasts. First thing every day and foremost on our mind is, "Lord Jesus, help me." Amen. Seek first the Kingdom of God.
Second, we can seek the Kingdom because we're delighted by it, we love it, and we want it to flourish and spread. In this way we're seeking the glory and advancement of Christ's kingdom. Like the lame Jesus made to walk who just can't keep from dancing and singing God's praises, or the blind Jesus made to see who just can't stop staring at Jesus, or the demoniacs Jesus set free who now gladly bind themselves to the Gospel for life, so too we have an encounter with Christ, a fresh experience of God's love in Him, and we turn and say simply, "What can I do?" All hands on deck, all systems go, all aboard, I'm all wound up just point me in the right direction. What can I start? Where can I serve? What can I support? Will coffee help? I'll acquire, learn, and provide coffee. Will prayer help? I'll learn how to pray and sit over here and pray. Will speaking help? Leadership help? Money help? Graphic design help? Will childcare help? Will education help? Software coding? Carpentry and construction? Then I will learn how to do it, get what's needed, and get to work! Amen. Seek first the Kingdom.
Seek the Kingdom. If you need Jesus, come get it. If you're stoked for Jesus, then get after it.
Perhaps you're in another category, somewhere stalled between the two--enroute but stymied. You kind of know where to go, what to do, what it means, but... Maybe the obstacles seem just too big, the road just too long, the goal not quite motivating enough. For whatever reason, you feel stuck. You'd love to be at the table toasting Jesus and celebrating, but your lost somewhere with the hood up, kicking the fender.
Listen to Psalm 77:19, "Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters--a pathway no one knew was there!"
"A pathway no one knew was there." Isn't this one of God's favorite tricks? To walk over to a brick wall or an empty space or mighty waters or scorched earth and reveal door number three? He did it for the Israelites fleeing certain doom from Egypt's armies. He did it for Jesus--Who knew the cross and the tomb would be the door to exaltation and glory? Our God does this sort of thing.
So wherever you are, pray for this: a pathway no one knew was there.
Maybe you're stuck in sin, or an unhealthy fixation, or a despondent swamp. Pray for a door to the Kingdom.
Maybe you're all wound up with love for the Lord, but are uncertain of what to do, or too anxious to do it. Pray for a pathway.
You don't see it now. You can look till your eyes burn but you'll never find it. But it's there, God knows. His doors are always strange. But they always open to the Kingdom.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and hidden pathways will be the least of the marvels you discover."BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED TO YOU." -Jesus Christ (Mat 6:33)
"Seek first the Kingdom of God," Jesus says in Matthew 6:33. "First thing and first place: live for this in all your life," is what Jesus is saying.
Now, I think there's two ways we can "seek" Christ's Kingdom.
First, we can seek it because we need it. Imagine yourself waking up in a dry desert, a distant land, baking under a hot sun--some days I wake up feeling like that! John Piper calls it "when I wake up feeling fragile." Ever visited a country where you don't speak the language? You've never been there before? You wake up and you feel very fragile--where do I get food? How can I find things out? You're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Sometimes we come to our senses (Luk 15:17) and realize that we're not where we want to be. And where we want to be is back with Jesus, with a renewed sense of His love, His security, His wisdom and strength. In that situation we seek the Kingdom because we need it. We wake up and first thing we read our Bibles and pray. We attend whatever the church has to offer. We cue up our favorite Christian music and podcasts. First thing every day and foremost on our mind is, "Lord Jesus, help me." Amen. Seek first the Kingdom of God.
Second, we can seek the Kingdom because we're delighted by it, we love it, and we want it to flourish and spread. In this way we're seeking the glory and advancement of Christ's kingdom. Like the lame Jesus made to walk who just can't keep from dancing and singing God's praises, or the blind Jesus made to see who just can't stop staring at Jesus, or the demoniacs Jesus set free who now gladly bind themselves to the Gospel for life, so too we have an encounter with Christ, a fresh experience of God's love in Him, and we turn and say simply, "What can I do?" All hands on deck, all systems go, all aboard, I'm all wound up just point me in the right direction. What can I start? Where can I serve? What can I support? Will coffee help? I'll acquire, learn, and provide coffee. Will prayer help? I'll learn how to pray and sit over here and pray. Will speaking help? Leadership help? Money help? Graphic design help? Will childcare help? Will education help? Software coding? Carpentry and construction? Then I will learn how to do it, get what's needed, and get to work! Amen. Seek first the Kingdom.
Seek the Kingdom. If you need Jesus, come get it. If you're stoked for Jesus, then get after it.
Perhaps you're in another category, somewhere stalled between the two--enroute but stymied. You kind of know where to go, what to do, what it means, but... Maybe the obstacles seem just too big, the road just too long, the goal not quite motivating enough. For whatever reason, you feel stuck. You'd love to be at the table toasting Jesus and celebrating, but your lost somewhere with the hood up, kicking the fender.
Listen to Psalm 77:19, "Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters--a pathway no one knew was there!"
"A pathway no one knew was there." Isn't this one of God's favorite tricks? To walk over to a brick wall or an empty space or mighty waters or scorched earth and reveal door number three? He did it for the Israelites fleeing certain doom from Egypt's armies. He did it for Jesus--Who knew the cross and the tomb would be the door to exaltation and glory? Our God does this sort of thing.
So wherever you are, pray for this: a pathway no one knew was there.
Maybe you're stuck in sin, or an unhealthy fixation, or a despondent swamp. Pray for a door to the Kingdom.
Maybe you're all wound up with love for the Lord, but are uncertain of what to do, or too anxious to do it. Pray for a pathway.
You don't see it now. You can look till your eyes burn but you'll never find it. But it's there, God knows. His doors are always strange. But they always open to the Kingdom.
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and hidden pathways will be the least of the marvels you discover.
Photo by Andrew Slifkin on Unsplash
