Building the Kingdom of God; Seeking

April 15

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

Building the Kingdom of God;

Seeking

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (v.33)

In the middle of Jesus's comforting words against anxiety and worry, he culminates with this often-heard phrase: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” But what does it mean to “seek” a kingdom? What is it that Jesus is actually telling us to do? It is clear that seeking the kingdom of God is NOT being anxious or worrying about what we will eat, drink, or wear. This is what we can say for sure from this passage directly: seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness is the opposite of seeking what the world / those outside of Christ are seeking. The kingdom of God is to be the quest of the people of God… it is what we long for. That is why it is crucial for us to understand what the kingdom of God looks like and what it means to “seek it”. In the upcoming devotions, we will be unpacking what exactly this looks like. for us today. Here are a few things for us from this passage to start  our journey:

1.) The kingdom of God is something we “SEEK”

To seek something is to look for it… go after it… intentional devote mental space, thoughts, actions, and efforts in the quest to find it. This is seeking. The kingdom of God is what the people of God are looking for. It is interesting to “seek” a kingdom really. It is not exactly the same as looking for your car keys or lost wallet. Kingdoms are a lot of things as well… they are actual places that impact the people who live in them. Kingdoms are also defined by values and a certain structure. Most importantly, they are led by a KING. The same holds true for the kingdom of God and OUR seeking. We seek out spaces/places where The King (Jesus) and his rule impact our actual lives. This encompasses where we go in time and space… the literal places we find ourselves in. Where are we putting ourselves? Likewise, we look for and live out the values of The King wherever we are, this is seeking the agenda of the Kingdom. Finally, we seek The King himself… looking for him wherever we go.

2.) “Kingdom” is distinct here from “righteousness”

Notice how it says “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”? So often, we seem to think “seek first the kingdom” means just to be nice or try to do the right thing. We have reduced “seeking the kingdom of God” to doing the spiritual disciplines like reading your bible, pray, attend church, etc. What if these normal spiritual disciplines are actually a part of seeking God’s righteousness, and seeking the kingdom includes these activities but is not limited to them? It is interesting that seeking “the kingdom” and seeking “righteousness” are not synonyms here. In short, I think seeking the kingdom of God is much greater than our own personal spiritual disciplines.

3.) Somehow, seeking the kingdom of Gods makes us fit to receive the food, water, and clothing we eventually get from the Lord.

“…And all these things will be added to you.” The stuff that we so often worry about … are “anxious” about… will be sorted out and added to us when we are seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. These practical things that we need in the real world are not ignored by Jesus, but rather put in their proper order/hierarchy. Jesus tells us, “first things first, kingdom of God and his righteousness. Now I know it is tempting to get tied up with worry about this ‘stuff’ that you need… but trust me… your Heavenly Father has got this. Kingdom and righteousness first, stuff second, and then anxiety never!” There is no way around it though, the kingdom of God and food, water, and clothing are connected to one another!

So what has consumed your mind? What or maybe where are you seeking? Do you have things in the proper order? This is the beginning of our journey looking at the kingdom of God. Happy hunting! Here is to “seeking” and FINDING. Love you guys. - JDP