What does it mean to “Seek First the Kingdom of God?”
Over the years, I’ve noticed a stark difference between the days where I put God first and the days I don’t. It’s a supernatural blessing that takes over on days I seek Him first.
God promises in Jeremiah 29 that when we seek God with our whole hearts, we will find Him! That’s a done deal! Seek and you WILL find!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
What are you seeking?
We’re all seeking different things in life right now. Maybe healing from chronic illness or a house in a safer neighborhood. Maybe a good true friend or a good square meal. Maybe a godly spouse or restoration in your marriage. Maybe a baby. Financial security. Emotional stability.
What are the things you’ve been seeking?
The thing is… we can ram ourselves into the ground searching after such things. Jesus puts it this way, recorded in Matthew 6:
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33
Trusting God’s heart with what you need
What I love about Jesus is that He never minimizes the things we needs. In fact, He assures us “your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.” And then He follows with a “but.”
“But seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
It’s not about whether the desires of your heart and needs of your body and soul matter or not. Heavens no! They matter a great deal to your Heavenly Father.
What this is really about is our priorities and trust.
When we put God first, He takes care of everything else.
When we prioritize pursuing righteousness—hearing God’s voice and obeying His Word—He takes care of everything else.
Of all the things you seek and want, seek God first. Prioritize pursuing His heart first, His love, His presence, His plans. And trust Him to take care of your heart, your plans, your needs.
Seeking First God’s kingdom
It’s a holy exchange where we trust Him to take care of everything we need as we prioritize our need for relationship with God over everything else.
The reason this is hard for people is because they don’t truly believe that He will or that He wants to take care of us and our needs. When you believe God to be hard-hearted and uncaring, then of course you won’t pursue Him first! And of course you won’t be able to trust Him.
But He is kind and slow to anger and full of compassion. He remembers you are made from dust. He knows that’s the biggest lie and assault on humanity from the beginning… the accusation that God doesn’t really love us or care about us.
Something I’ve noticed is that the more I seek Him, the more I discover His true nature—that He really loves love and care for me. He cares more than I do! I discover that He is abounding in steadfast unconditional love. That He forgives and is gracious.
Rewards of seeking God first
Something else I’ve noticed is that when I take a leap of faith and pray in bed before I even sit up and read His Word and listen for His voice and ask Him what’s on His heart first thing in the morning… Those are the days laced in a peculiar noticeable blessing. I get more done. I have more energy. I have more peace hen trials come. And over time, this deepens my ability to trust Him for His Word and trust His love for me.
So give it a go. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Seek first God’s kingdom and all these things will be added to you too.
Til next time, toodle-pip! May you have the grace to seek the heart of God first and watch Him keep His word!