Seek First the Kingdom of God

Do we really grasp the kingdom of God?  Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer to ask, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:33 declares, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”I believe the kingdom of God certainly has a future aspect in which it refers to Christ’s return and His earthly kingdom.  I believe it also references His eternal kingdom in which God will reign for all of eternity.  There is also a present aspect of the kingdom of God in which we are invited to be participants even now.  It is unlike earthly kingdoms.  It is not a visible kingdom in which we can observe.  Luke writes, “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).  The kingdom of God can only be “seen” when we participate through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Earthly kingdoms can be observed without participation, not so with God’s kingdom.  In fact, the kingdom of God is contrary to conventional wisdom.  Not only can it not be “seen,” it conflicts with the world’s systems.  Consider how these passages conflict with the world…

• “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matt. 10:39
• “So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matt. 20:16
• “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Matt. 23:11
• “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
• “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Rom. 6:18
• “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24
• “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:18
• “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Phil. 2:3

As Christians, we have been called to seek first the kingdom of God, but often we seek to build our own kingdoms.  If believers simply began to seek the kingdom of God and His will in our lives, we could truly begin to see another “great awakening.”  Imagine the impact of kingdom living.  When I consider the commonalities of these passages, it reminds me of the fundamental characteristics of a disciple: sacrificial, relational, and transformational.

We must continue to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to ourselves (i.e. Christians)!  Should we (Christians) begin to the think of “the Gospel” as something only for the lost, we may become complacent and neglect to seek the kingdom of God in our daily living.  I must be reminded that I need to be renewed in the spirit of my mind (cf. Eph. 4:23).  Kingdom living, truly requires a change in how we think… “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” Romans 12:2.