Are You A Kingdom Seeker?

But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6: 33

Today Jesus offers you yet again the antidote to worry and anxiety; the solution to stepping off of the treadmill of a mundane, humdrum existence. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” He says, “And all these things will be given to you as well.” Are you seeking the kingdom of God first, or in practical terms is that more of an afterthought for you?
If you’ve done a pretty poor job of kingdom seeking, now is the time to turn that around. And I have great news. You’re in the right place. You are hearing the Word today. It is the Word of Jesus(and the Holy Spirit active in that Word) that can change us and point us in a new direction. The Holy Spirit brings us right to Jesus Christ, because when you’re seeking the kingdom of God, you’re seeking Jesus. Jesus pours out the forgiveness he earned by his suffering and death right here in His Church. If your kingdom seeking has been so-so, there is forgiveness for you. If your ultimate concern has not been the true God, there is forgiveness and new life for you. If you’ve been trapped by your own misplaced priorities, there is freedom for you in Jesus. But let’s not use our freedom to fall right back into our old ways. Let’s use our freedom to seek the kingdom and the righteousness of Jesus, trusting in the promise He makes that when we do so, “all these things” will be given to us as well.
This is where God-given faith really carries us. First, faith trusts that Jesus has removed all our sins. He said, “It is finished.” Faith also trusts that Jesus rose from the grave to unlock heaven and let me in. Faith also trusts that when Jesus says things like: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well,” He means it! Faith prompts and pushes us to actually try living that way, and to see what happens. Faith trusts that when my ultimate concern is Jesus, He will provide me with the things that I really need. I won’t have to chase after them. I won’t want to chase after them. I’ll want to chase after Him, knowing He’ll give me things that really matter. He’ll give me an abundance of the things I need to serve Him, so I can get on with it.
And please understand, you don’t have to be a missionary or a pastor or a teacher to be seeking first His kingdom. If you are a father, be the best father you can be to your child with the discipline and love of the Lord. If you are a mother, serve your children in love and grace. Husbands and wives, bring the forgiveness of Jesus into your relationship and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Students, commit yourself to your studies and prepare for the life that God is calling you towards. Workers, do your tasks as if you were doing them for Jesus himself, and let your labor be an unspoken song of praise to God. This weekend we have opportunity to remember those who laid down their lives in defense of our nation, and we can say without reservation that their service to country was also service to God. Whoever you are and whatever you do, there is something that you can do well. Part of seeking first God’s kingdom is taking that “something” you do well and doing it for the Lord; to serve your neighbor; to convey the compassion of Christ to world desperate for it. When you chase after that, Jesus promises, you won’t have to worry about having the things that really matter.
You’ll have what really matters already.