PURSUING GOD FIRST

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Our Lord Jesus tells us how we should live our lives daily. It should be the basis of all our daily decisions, whether at home, work, school, or any other place we are. It should be the basis for how we treat one another. The phrase "seek first" means to pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness with our utmost; as a result, it should be our supreme goal to pursue God's kingdom and righteousness before and above all else. The moment we wake up in the morning, we must choose to pursue God's kingdom and righteousness throughout the day and night, until we go to sleep. The kingdom that the above verse refers to is God's reign as King in the world and in our hearts. It means that as we seek God's kingdom, we are acknowledging that He is the King and Lord to whom we submit our lives. Seeking God's Kingdom first means that we are making a priority in our lives to submit our lives to the Lordship of God. In every decision that we make, we are submitting our lives to God. We are making sure that our decision aligns with the authority of God over our lives. Seeking God's righteousness means that we live in a way that pleases God. It relates to our daily behavior at home, work, or anywhere else. It relates to how we treat and talk to each other. 

God wants us to pursue Him with our utmost daily by submitting to His Lordship (kingdom) and living in a way that pleases Him (righteousness). When we live our lives this way, God will take care of all of our needs. God wants us to live for Him daily, and He will take care of everything. We do not need to worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear tomorrow. God knows our needs and has ample resources to meet them. He just wants us to prioritize Him in our lives, and everything will work out according to His sovereign will. Making a decision to pursue God first in everything that we do is not easy for us because it is not natural for our flesh to do so. Our flesh wants to live for its own pleasure and not to pursue God. As a result, we need the power of God to help us pursue God daily, so we need to ask Him to give us the power and strength to pursue Him daily. This week, we will explore in detail how to pursue God daily.

God expects us to pursue Him with our utmost and before and above all else, and to live in a way that pleases Him daily. And everything that we worry about will be taken care of by the sovereign power of God. God wants to focus on how we live rather than worrying about the things we need. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What does it mean to pursue God first? How do I seek God's kingdom first? How do I seek God's righteousness first? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, please help me to pursue you with my utmost devotion every day. Please help me to submit to your Lordship in everything that I do, especially when making decisions and relating with others. Please help me live in a way that pleases you, both in the words I say and in the way I treat others through my actions and thoughts. Thank you for taking care of all my needs. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.