Seek First The Kingdom Of God

"Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you,"  
~ Matthew 6:33

I know we've heard it many times. In fact it is one of the essential parts of our daily walk with Christ Jesus. But what does it really mean?

When we pray, Jesus taught us to say the Lord's prayer. "Our father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thine name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven...."

Thy Kingdom come. Jesus said that God's Kingdom is coming to replace this worlds government. That is the true Gospel of Christ...the good news is HIS KINGDOM is coming and will replace the corrupted systems that exist in our world today! Let's also look at the second part of it.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. What is God's will? And what does he want done on earth as it is in heaven? God's will is for mankind to be pure and holy as HE is holy! That is the will of God. HE created us in his image...so that we can be the physical carriers of his nature through the holy spirit and have dominion over the earth. So if he created us to be like him then what exactly does he want to happen on earth to be the same in heaven? God wants our nature to be like him therefore as a result earth should reflect heaven by its nature as well. God wants earth to be full of love, peace, harmony, purity, and holiness! That is what it is like in heaven. So His will is for mankind to have his likeness, his characteristics to act out these things bringing the principles of heaven's government on earth.

The point I am trying to make here is until we understand why we must seek first the Kingdom of God it may be impossible for us to attain the things we want in our lives because we will be focused on the wrong things. Or when trials and challenges arise we won't know how to deal with them. In every challenge try exercising God's character and see what it does in building you more like Christ. Try exercising unconditional love when someone bumps into you and spills hot coffee all over your brand new coat.  Try exercising patience when you are in a rush and the person in front of you at the bank is chatting away with the teller.  Try exercising peace when you are being yelled at by someone trying to start up a messy confrontation. Try saying I'm sorry even when it's not your fault.  Try making that effort to love someone who has been murdering you with your family or friends through gossip.  Try humbling yourself when you were caught speeding when that officer pulls you over to give you a ticket. Try putting on the image of God everyday to maintain the principles and characteristics of heaven in every situation. It's not going to be easy...but try it.

Seek first the Kingdom of God! God wants to replace our system with His perfect system which should be applied to every area and aspect of our lives. So when we wake up in the morning and we have that private one on one time with him, He will give us the strength to do things that will be impossible to maintain without him. No one can love perfectly the way God loves without being connected with him.  Our selfish nature always wants to please itself over pleasing God. So that is why it is important to get connected with him daily.

So let's understand.... what does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? When we seek to purposely maintain peace in our relationships, to love on purpose all those God has put into our lives, to create harmony everywhere we are and to instill purity and holiness in every area of our lives as our FIRST priority in everything we do....God will prosper us! God will give us the desires of our heart because that is his promise.

When we seek God his Holy Spirit will direct us in all areas of our lives that need attention. Isn't it awesome to have a God that shows us his love unconditionally every time even when we don't deserve it? He loves us. He provides for us. He gives us everything we need. Put him first and seek walking in his ways. Don't just read about it or think about it.  Connecting with him daily will help us see the power of God released into all that we do.

So let us "Seek first the Kingdom of God," so that all our hearts desires according to God's plan for our lives can be fulfilled and come to pass. It is our birth right as the righteousness of God. So no matter where we are in our faith right now, don't be discouraged. God is with us and he will continue to work within us to fulfill every area of His will for our lives. Stay blessed!

~Tracey-Acadia Thomas