But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
You are probably familiar with this scripture, any believer for any amount of time will probably have heard it many times. It is a key saying from Christ. What does seeking first mean?
For me, when I get up every morning, seeking first means that I have on my mind spending some time with Christ, including quiet time. Quiet time is time when I stop all activity and just sit in the quiet time and … well that is all. It is a time of no activity, that is key. It is a time when Christ can have my entire person.
It is amazing the access you give to God when you just stop. We are so busy all of the time, I believe it is difficult for God to have access. If you can’t relate to what I’m saying, then when you try it you’ll discover two things:
- It is not easy. You think stopping is no big deal (at least I did) until I tried to make it a habit in my day. You mind wants to wander, you think of 10 things you must do, people you need to contact, email, chat, etc.
- It is quite refreshing. I have come to the point where I think of my quiet time when I get out of bed. It took some time of doing it before I got here, but just stopping and giving God access is a key activity in my intimacy with God.
Seeking first has more to do (to me) than just quiet time. It means allowing Christ into:
- my day, all day – not just the quiet time in the morning
- my relationship with my wife; I want her to know that she is second only to Christ in my life and feel security in our relationship, or finances, our family
- my businesses; leaning on his strength, wisdom and direction in the crossroads of my business dealings
- my stress;I try to move my stress I’m feeling onto Christ’s shoulders and off of mine. Acknowledging that I trust Jesus when I feel stress.
- my relationship with my kids; I want to lead each of them toward the path of God in a way that they receive
- my ministry; I want to step out to the side and let Christ lead me in His timing, in paths that He desires; I want to never look for recognition, but always be a vessel used by Christ to further His kingdom
Seeking first has benefits, Christ Himself says that He will return to you all these things. To me that means more than what I could ever even dream of. His desire is to bless His children. Remember, we serve the God of the universe. God help us to step outside of our world, our stress and our bubble – to realize who You are so that we can seek you first at every crossroad of our lives.