Seek First The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Seek – pursue after, put your time and attention into this. Here are instructions for every Christian person, as to what should be their first priority in life, and what they should fully devote themselves to. This is in contrast to the anxious ‘seeking’ which the gentiles do after the necessities of life. But Christ says, ‘is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?’ Yes, surely it is. We exist for a purpose more significant than merely the maintenance of our existence, or the pleasure of our bodies. And what is our greater purpose? To seek this kingdom and righteousness.
To seek the kingdom of God is to advance God’s agenda in the world. This agenda was stated by the Savior in Matthew 28:19 – “Make disciples of all nations.” It occurs as the gospel is proclaimed and believed. It means to evangelize the lost and to help those who believe to grow deeper in their walk with God.
To seek the righteousness of God is to pursue the life of righteousness to which God calls us. This is the righteousness which is found in the gospel, not our own ‘good deeds’ which are profitless, but the justification of Christ. However, as the life of God takes root in our souls, we are enabled to grow in grace. This is sanctification. And so the Christian pursues the righteousness of God by fighting sin, growing in grace, and learning the truth through the study of Scripture.
It is this pursuit which should direct our activities and consume our energies. The gentiles seek ‘all these [other] things,’ but we seek this. And when we seek this, God promises that he will undertake to provide ‘all these [other] things’ for us.
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