Seek This First
There are a lot of things that reach for our attention. Our time is filled with people and responsibilities, with needs and desires, and these all take time.
In Jesus’ famous sermon in Matthew 6, He spends time talking about the various things in life that we give our attention to. Jesus tells us that instead of spending our time worrying about how to get what we need, we should seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. If we do that, then everything else will be taken care of.
So what does it mean to seek God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness?
God’s Kingdom is about God’s rule and reign over all of creation. His Kingdom began in Jesus’ ministry on earth and is now expanding and continuing through the Church. The work of the Kingdom is to continue to tell others about the hope of Jesus, and to teach all the things Jesus has commanded us.
To seek God’s righteousness is to desire to live the way God intended. It is to live according to God’s commands, which requires that we make decisions that align with God’s Word.
Jesus says that if we do these two things—seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness—then every other area of our life will make sense. When we don’t prioritize God’s desires for our life first, then we’ll end up worrying about things that are temporary.
Living a life according to God’s Word ought to be our greatest concern because God’s Kingdom will last forever.
Think about how you spend your time. In what ways can you make seeking God's Kingdom your first priority? Rather than worrying about how to get what you need, seek God and watch Him meet your needs.
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...