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Seek Ye First

by Bob Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." (Matthew 6:34)

How does one seek the righteousness of God? What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God? The phrase, kingdom of God, suggests the reign of God. God wants to have control of our life. If we are to be genuine kingdom people, we live under the authority of the king. In the world in which we live, it is not easy to live life with the kingdom in view. Consider three areas where it is increasingly difficult to be a kingdom person.

I. Ethics
We live in a world where standards of right and wrong are increasingly questioned. Fewer and fewer are willing to affirm an objective standard; more and more seek to define right and wrong relatively. It is easy to allow our ethics to slip--to succumb to the temptation to measure life by other standards such as pragmatism (does it work?) or humanism (does it advance the cause of humanity in the here and now?)
Christians who are serious about seeking kingdom things first must constantly and consistently redefine what it means to live life as an ethical person.

II. Family
The family is under assault in our world. Changing cultural situations have moved definitions of family from work units to support units to self-fulfillment options. The emphasis has moved from mutual work to intimacy to free-floating love. One man recently affirmed, "Parents are forever, but wives are dispensable." Other factors could be cited which are making it necessary for Christians to redefine the nature of our relationships within the family. Examples of these factors would include the absence of mothers from the home, changing gender roles as women seek education at a rate much higher than men, as well as cultural changes in the definitions of what it means to be a man or woman, husband or wife, good father or mother.
Christians who are serious about seeking kingdom things first must think biblically about the nature of the relationships God intends us to share and seek to honor him in those relationships.

III. Spiritual life
Kingdom things are ultimately beyond this world. While we are tempted to define our lives and focus our lives in the physical realm, to seek the kingdom requires consideration of the spiritual life. Jesus' promise is that those seeking kingdom things first will have the necessities of this life supplied.
In a day of busyness where it is easy to overlook the spiritual realities and needs of our lives, it is essential that we find again the place of the spiritual life as we seek kingdom realities. Christians who are serious about seeking kingdom things first cannot ignore the spiritual side of life.

_____________________

Developed in part from notes from Jonas Chavez, Seminario Baxter, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.


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Last updated August 6, 2008.