What Does It Mean to Seek God's Kingdom First? (Even When Life Doesn't Make Sense)
Matthew 6:33 says to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, and everything else will be taken care of. It doesn’t mention money, success, power, or even love. Just His kingdom and His righteousness. So what does that actually mean?
I was reading this through YouVersion guided scripture, and the narrator, AXIS, asked a question I hadn’t thought about. He asked what “all these things” actually refers to. I assumed it meant His kingdom and righteousness, which led to the real question: what is His kingdom, and what is His righteousness?
The answer given was that it means prioritizing the way of being in the world that Jesus modeled. Trusting the Father to generously care for us as we generously care for others. That wasn’t what I would have guessed.
This is also why context matters so much when reading scripture. Understanding what was happening before a verse was written changes what it actually means, and sometimes the meaning people assume isn’t the correct one at all.
The devotional Seek This First breaks it down further. Instead of worrying about our basic needs, we’re called to seek His kingdom and righteousness first. Worldly things will always fight for our attention. Our schedules fill up, our responsibilities pile on with different levels of urgency, and what we should be seeking instead is the work of the kingdom, which is telling others about the hope of Jesus and teaching what He commanded.
Seeking His righteousness means desiring to live the way God intended, according to His word, and making decisions that align with it. That part still feels like a puzzle to me. It’s one thing to say live according to His word. It’s another to actually live it out.
And only when we put Him first do the other areas of life make sense.
I’ll say this plainly. I don’t fully know if I understand what it means for every area of my life to make sense. Losing my brother still doesn’t make sense to me. But I do believe that once someone fulfills their purpose, their time on earth ends. I think about that a lot when I think about him.
I’m in a season of uncertainty and struggle that’s gone on for a long time. I don’t like it. But deep down I know there’s a reason for it, an end to it, and that it’s growing me into something greater.
The call to action from the devotional is to think about how you spend your time, and whether you’re worrying about things outside your control. I’m learning this gradually. When I hit a red light while I’m in a rush, my first reaction is still frustration, and then I remind myself I’ll get there when I get there. When my computer is slow and I’m trying to get something done, I get frustrated first, then I ask myself if maybe I’m not supposed to be working on this right now, or what I’m supposed to learn from the delay. I can’t make the computer move faster. I can only decide how I respond to the wait.
This isn’t a lesson you learn overnight. It’s one I’m still learning, one red light and one slow loading screen at a time.
The devotional also points out that when seeking God becomes your top priority, a desire to tell others about Him naturally overflows. I can testify to that. I’m not out here preaching at people, but I am quicker to talk about what He’s doing, because I genuinely believe everything that happens is for me, not to me. So when something good happens, it’s praise be to God. When someone needs something to go right, it’s let’s pray about this in Jesus’ name. That’s how I share my faith. Not by forcing it, but by living grateful, knowing life isn’t guaranteed, and that I get to live the life I’m living.
Peace, Love and Joy always,
Tanya / InfiniteFaithandFavor.com