Seek ye first

There are some verses which I know off by heart from before I was a Christian! This verse is one of them. But how, I hear you ask. When I was in Primary School, we still had ‘hymn practice’ one afternoon a week, led by one of the teachers (who I later met in my late teens, it turns out she was a Christian). One of the songs she taught was an ‘in the round’ version of this.

Matthew 6 v 33:

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well”

Jesus says these words at the end of His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel. The ‘all these things’ He mentions are all that He has said previously in that incredible sermon of Kingdom-value living.

I wonder how often we seek FIRST His Kingdom, or how often that is a second, third, or after thought. How many times do we have a cross word, a snappy reply, quickly cancel something, take the hump – before we seek first the Kingdom. Jesus tells us to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness.

The righteousness of Jesus transforms us.

The Kingdom of Jesus transforms everything.

When we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, our whole outlook changes; we capture His heart for things, people and situations we are facing. We see things from the perspective of ‘being seated in the heavenly realms’ (Ephesians 2) rather than from our self-driven earthly perspective.

When we catch God’s perspective on things, we can pray ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done’ with genuine meaning, rather than our prayers which are so often more about ‘my kingdom come and my will be done’.

When we seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, we prioritise the last, least and the lost.

When we seek Him first, we need not worry, for we can trust that His way is the best way, no matter how our earthly perspective may be pulling us.

As the David, the king and Psalmist so beautifully puts:

“One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, and gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” Psalm 27 v 4.

Let’s make this prayer, our prayer, as we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.