The first rule of life.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 ESV
But first
Before anything else, Jesus tells us from the mount, the first thing, the very first priority of life, is to seek His Father’s Kingdom.
Everything else will fall into place — all these things will be added. The things added are all the things we think we need for life: wealth, happiness, power, food, control, security, admiration, favor, love… You know, those things we spend the majority of our lives seeking, worrying about, spending all our energy to achieve.
Seek first His Kingdom — Mark the spot with an X. All our desires, the true treasures of life, are unearthed when we set our sights on seeking God’s Kingdom and righteousness.
The key to the life we desire — all these things — is found when we begin discovering and walking in the ways of God. The rule of Life opens our hearts to the eternal treasures, the wonder-full things for which we were created.
Seek His Kingdom
Seek translated from the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, means more than making a physical search for a thing. It also involves the engagement of our mind and reason to come to a right understanding.
ζητέω… zeteo… dzay-teh-o… to seek in order to find… to seek a thing… to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into… to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after…
–Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
The Greek translated as kingdom means royal power… kingship… dominion… rule… not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon).
Jesus teaches us to spend our time and energy seeking, aiming at, striving for, God’s rule, power, dominion, and righteousness. To learn to live in His Kingdom now, under His authority.
Please note, the kingdom we are seeking is not a physical place, it is not heaven. (Or maybe heaven isn’t a physical place.) He’s calling us to seek something we can attain now, not a location we are waiting to enter. It is about who we allow to rule our lives today. Whose authority we come under when it comes down to living our day-to-day ordinary lives.
There is divine counsel in these words. In them we find the wisdom of living a satisfied life.
Seek first the Father’s rule over your life, practice His righteousness, live in His Kingdom and all these things will be added to you. Everything else, what we truly need to fill our souls, will fall into place.
All things added
The things we seek after out of anxiety: food, drink, clothing, shelter, material needs, emotional wants and desires. The things we spend endless amounts of our finite energy fretting over. These things He gives or lessens the importance of as we find ourselves living in Him, following His way.
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:25 ESV
The truth is there are some things more important than the things we generally prioritize. Unseen, unrevealed, hidden things needed for real life, for a life free from anxiety.
God says: But seek first, My rule in your life and I will take care of everything else…
I hear freedom in this rule of Life! Only one thing to seek, one place to set our sights. The place where everything else falls into place or falls away. The treasure is found when we set our sights on His Kingdom, His rule, His way, and the process of seeking opens up the treasures we have yet to find that fulfill the desires of our hearts.
This is His counsel — His rule — for those who choose Him:
Let Me rule your life. Have no fear…
Do you seek His rule? His lordship? in your life?
If not, what are you seeking? What have you found?
Have you discovered what fulfills the desire of your heart?
Maybe it’s time to seek His Way…
Another entry. Day 1 of Jeremiah’s Menu: Revisited. The continuation of my Medium journey: Creating a new devotional.
You’re invited to find out more about my journey of eating His Word at carolbweaver.com.
Where the ordinary follows the extraordinary.
Jeremiah's Menu 