Seek First the Kingdom of God
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
The words “seek first” emphasise the need to prioritise, look out for, search thoroughly with respect to the things pertaining to our relationship with God, the importance of the Word of God, to experience God, and to ensure that we are growing spiritually and living our lives righteously. It can only be done when we live our lives based on biblical values and principles. Therefore, a Christian should have these priorities in place where God is first, family second, followed by career and other less significant matters in life. If we do not prioritise seeking after God first, then seeking for power, prestige, pleasure, people, and career will take the place of importance in our lives. The world will try to conform us to its mould and standards and to compromise with the world, so as a believer in the marketplace, it is easy for us to pick and choose what we want to believe and practise. However, we will lose our testimony for Him in the marketplace if we compromise with the world, and we will be overwhelmed by anxieties if we have built our lives on the wrong foundation.
Is it possible to have a successful and godly leader in the marketplace who also leads the family well? Most definitely! That will happen if we intentionally seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. These people will fully acknowledge that Jesus is the Lord as well as Saviour of their lives. When Jesus is the Lord of our lives, He will be an integral part of our decision making process, and He will be consulted before we make any major decisions in our lives. We have chosen to be yoked with Him so that He can carry us through. We will seek the advice of the Holy Spirit and be sensitive to Him daily. Prayer and journaling will be an important part of our spiritual discipline, and we won’t make any major decisions on our own since we have prioritised seeking God first. Prayer and consecration are like hand in glove. Therefore, it will be a habit to seek the face of God and talk to Him throughout the day. This is what it means to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Not everyone will seek God automatically when they are worried, but we will realise that many problems arise when we depart from the Lord. That’s why God assured us that all these things will be added to us if we are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God might not answer our prayers based on what we want but what we need, but it is better to be blessed God’s way than the ways of the world.
Sermon Series: Having Trouble
