I was reading a verse in Matthew the other day that really got me thinking. In fact you can find it in chapter 6, verse 33. Here is what the verse says:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Today I want to focus on the first part of this verse…seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Let’s examine the first part…see ye first the kingdom of God.
What you are seeking first in your life? Look at the marketing industry. They are trying to get your attention for all sorts of things. Cars, clothes, jewelry, food processors, cameras, computers…the list is endless. The marketing firms hope that they can convince you to put these things first in your life. In fact, a study at Fordham University noted that each of us is exposed to about 1,500 ads every day. The world is fighting to get your attention and to take that attention away from seeking the kingdom of God first.
May I encourage you to be deliberate about seeking the kingdom of God first in your lives? This doesn’t happen by accident…there are too many things fighting for your attention. You must be deliberate in your quest to seek God.
What about the second part of this verse…seeking righteousness? What does that even mean. Well, some other words for righteousness include decent, honest, right-minded, upright, and virtuous. How are you living your life? When folks think about you do those words come to mind? When your spouse and children think of you do those words come to mind? You see, this verse is a two-part verse. It’s not a choice of either seeking the kingdom of God or righteousness. God has commanded each of us to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
This seeking of righteousness is never ending. Daily we must strive to follow the heart of God. We need to be careful about what we place into our heads. There is an old saying in the computer industry, Garbage in, garbage out. It’s the same with our desire for righteousness. We can’t get there if we continue to place garbage into our minds. What does God tell us about our thoughts? One great example is found in Philippians, chapter 4:
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
So, if you’re serious about seeking righteousness, here’s a place to start…here is God’s direction on how to think. Don’t become obsessed with Ebola, ISIS, military actions, plane crashes, and the sad, shocking stories we hear about every day.
Deliberately seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness…think how God commands us to think…and your world will change remarkably. You will begin to live how God intended you to live.
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