I have a few Bible verses that I hate. One of them is Matthew 6:33. It reads “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The part of the verse that bothers me is, “But seek first his kingdom…” It bothers me because it tells me that, before anything else, I am to seek God’s kingdom. The fact is many times I don’t want to seek God first. For this reason Matthew 6:33 strikes to the very core of my being.
You see, the first thing I think of when I read that I am to seek the kingdom of God first, is how often I don’t. I usually review what I do against Galatians 5:19–23, and find that I display the works of the flesh (fits of anger, dissensions, and, at times, a love to create divisions among others) far more often than the fruit of the Spirit (love, patience, kindness, and self-control). Why do I sometimes display the works of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit? I do so because I do not focus on Jesus; I do not seek Him, or His kingdom, first.
Seeking God first means I have to transform my thoughts from what I want, to what God wants by focusing on Him before me. Focusing on Jesus means I seek Him first; before anger, before creating division, before doing anything that I know is wrong. This also means that by placing my thoughts and focusing on Him, I worship Him. I place Him first, me second, and give Him praise and gratitude for everything He is doing in my life. In this worship, I seek Jesus and His way before anything else. In return, He provides me with abundant life. This is an abundant life that is different from anything I’ve experienced. It is a life that is not sin-free, but it is one in which I am continually forgiven as I seek Him first and ask for forgiveness with a heart that is crushed from the guilt of my sin. It’s hard to believe, but even when I ask for forgiveness, I am worshiping God, because I acknowledge Him as God and recognize that I am not.
How do I worship God? I go to Him every day (oftentimes many times during the day) in humbleness, with gratitude, and ask for forgiveness. This means I seek Him first. By accepting Jesus as my savior and then seeking to put Him first every day of my life, I live a worshipful life which transforms me.
I challenge you to do two things. First, memorize Matthew 6:33. This will allow you to remember it anytime you face the challenge of putting yourself first or wanting to slide back to the way you used to do things. Second, begin to seek Christ’s way all day, one day at a time. You may not notice the change in your life, but I can tell you from experience, others will.