“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6;33
Dear Ones:
The creation of God speaks to us of first things. This is seen so very clearly in Genesis 1, where we read: “And the evening and the morning were the FIRST day.” (v.5) This “first thing” was essential for the remainder of creation. After the fall of man, and as we see God’s dealings throughout history up until the time of Christ, He calls us to see and understand as in creation, that which must be “the first thing.” This is because of its essential importance to all else that is to follow. This time it has to do with the existence of man on this earth, and how he is to live in the context of a fallen world. The life of living by faith has a “first thing,” and it must be understood and lived by if the purposes of God are to be realized, and the blessing of God revealed in the individual life.
Jesus Christ is the eternal and Almighty Savior, possessing ALL wisdom. Every directive He gives to man in the form of a commandment, a promise, or a teaching, is given to “save” man on a daily basis from sin, self, the world, and the devil. But that is only part of the salvation, for he saves us UNTO the great blessing of knowing Him, experiencing and knowing His life by the Spirit. His commandment found in Matthew 6, concerning the “first thing” is essential to abide by, if we would be saved from the tyranny of “things,” even legitimate things, to be free to KNOW God. It must be said that these things (food, drink, and clothing) are not “evil” or wrong in and of themselves, but we must realize that God has not created us, and called us, to be subservient to them. He has called us to seek Him “first,” and freely.
Jesus again makes it very plain what is to be the object of our seeking. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” To get some idea of His meaning, let us look at the “model” prayer that He has given us to use in our praying. He begins by saying, “After this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” The first thing in seeking first the kingdom of God is seeking the God of the kingdom, “Our Father which is in heaven.” Immediately we are confronted with the enormity of such a command, that God would have us to address the God of heaven, and Him as our Father. To seek first the kingdom is to seek the God of heaven, communing directly, singularly, and “secretly” with Him. It is a personal seeking of a Personal God, ….our Father. The second thing we see in this seeking, is that it is a “holy” business, unlike any other endeavor on this earth, for we are dealing with a unique, singular, pure and holy God, eternal in the heavens, who has taken the initiative in seeking us. It is not a light matter, but certainly a most blessed one. Thirdly, the call is to pray for the coming of the kingdom. To seek first His kingdom is to pray for its coming, in our hearts, and in the hearts of men. It is a call to seek the reign of Christ in the heart, where the government of our lives RESTS upon His shoulders, Christ being King and Lord. Why? Isaac Watts penned a hymn in which he wrote: “Blessings abound where’re He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains, The weary find eternal rest, And all the sons of want are blessed.” It is when the Kingship of Christ is accepted, and embraced in the heart, that His blessings abound, specifically the experience of His blessed Life by the Spirit. Lastly, to seek first the kingdom of God is to pray: “…Thy will be done.” The will of God and the true, eternal blessing of man, are synonymous terms. Paul writes of this will of God, “…that ye may prove what is that GOOD, and ACCEPTABLE, and PERFECT, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) The great object or purpose of Eternal Love, and the reason for which the Savior of the world has come, is that we might be true worshippers of God in Spirit and truth, and that His reign should be established in our hearts by faith. THEN He will form Christ in the heart, and the object of the “first thing” will be realized.
Dear Father, enable us to see as you do, and live by the clear dictates of Thy word. Grant us grace to truly SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God, and Your righteousness, praying and believing Thee for the full outworking of Your purposes and will in our lives. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Love, Dad