In a dream, I saw leaders sitting at white-covered round tables in a large room. They were meeting to brainstorm answers to a variety of problems.
After much time passed, many problems discussed, and many answers proposed, the people were tired and despondent.
A white-haired father finally spoke up, “What does the Scripture say? “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The context of the verse shows Jesus had been teaching about the spiritual kingdom and how to live by spiritual principles.
When He told them to “seek” first, He was referring to what He had just taught about fasting and asking in prayer. We can conclude that:
To “seek” means to cultivate a mindset of inquiry.
We are to seek first or in the first place, not forgetting God until all other options fail, but inquiring of Him first—first in the day, first in every circumstance.
In fact, Eve’s great mistake was not consulting God first about that serpent she saw in the garden.
We are to “seek” out His righteousness, which is greater than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Most religious leaders did not even recognize God in human flesh when He arrived among them.
The ancient Magi were men of great learning and powerful influence in their own land. They knew the ancient prophecy concerning a coming king of the Jews, and they traveled a great distance with great hardship to seek Him out and “worship” Him.
Because they sought Him diligently, “the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.” They greatly rejoiced that God Himself gently lead them to the right place at the right time.
God will lead and guide you too when you seek Him first.
If we seek Him out and follow His ways, if we live honestly in authentic relationship with God and other people, we can be content to know He will meet all our needs for this life according to His glorious purpose and plans.
We humans forget these magnificent spiritual principles (or either we don’t believe they are for us) then we get stressed out and worried about how we are going to fix our problems.
Jesus told the people, “You need to learn how to live by my kingdom principles first. You guys are worried about so many things. My Father knows your troubles. He takes care of the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields, and He will take care of you!”
In other words, if we seek His ways of living and being, seek His presence, and seek His answers first, then everything else will fall into place.
Oswald Chambers says, “Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order to do it until you get into the habit of putting God first and calculating [answers] with Him in view.” Then when you get it, the rewards are great!
God granted Solomon a wise and discerning heart, and then said, “Oh, by the way, because you put my interests first, I give you riches and honor too.”
This principle was not only for people long ago. It works for us today. We simply must practice it.
G.C. Jones relates, “A contagious Christian handed me a lovely piece of white wood about the size of a half dollar, which he frequently gives to confused individuals. On the front is printed in red letters TUIT. On the back is this statement: ‘I will put God first in my life when I get a round tuit.’”
Learn to Ask God’s What He Thinks
It is easy to rely on our own understanding without stopping to inquire of the Lord. Most times God’s way of looking at problems is very different our own.
It takes an effort and practice to live from the kingdom way of thinking and doing, but the rewards are great!
Action Steps:
I have found a practical strategy to help me remember to put God’s ways first, which works for me and may work for you.
I put prayers and declarations into my phone’s reminder app with a reminder ding each morning; then I don’t forget specific ongoing items I want to pray and declare over my life (and my family) daily.
This is not all there is to seeking God first, but it is one thing that is easy to implement into our daily lives.
I will share with you a pdf file with some of my own prayers and declarations if you like, then you can add, delete, and modify them to suit your own needs. The download is quick and easy, and you don’t even have to give your email address.
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