Seek FIRST

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness… (Mt 6:33a NIV)

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.  Before anything else, before we chase after anything (especially those things which we consider to be ostensibly good), we are to seek first His kingdom.  No matter the inconvenience, no matter where that might take us, no matter who we might offend (which will likely be other Christians), if we pursue anything other than seeking the kingdom of God, we’ve missed it altogether.

All of our attempts to seek community, all of our efforts to do “good,” all of our best intentions to change the world will amount to little more than dung if we don’t seek first the kingdom of God.  Aren’t they one in the same?  If we intentionally do “good,” and if "we" form some sort of intentional community, isn’t that pursuing the kingdom of God?  Not necessarily.

Of course we should serve others.  Of course we should live our lives in the context of real community.  Real community is God’s provision for the survival of His church.  But all of our sweating, strategizing, striving, and intentional serving doesn’t necessarily equate kingdom reality – no more than going to church makes you a disciple of Jesus.  It’s bigger than that… MUCH bigger.  It isn’t contained by 4 walls.  It isn’t managed by an organization.  The Apostles (the sent ones) couldn't even contain or manage it.  They knew that wasn't their role - rather the role of the Spirit.  The kingdom pops up and shows us beautiful glimpses of itself in the unlikeliest of places, in the unlikeliest of moments, and in the presence of some of the unlikeliest of people.

As I wrote in one of my previous posts:

Those who are born of the Spirit and live according to the Spirit freely go wherever the Spirit wishes without thought of consequence or religious and social norms.  They don’t fit.  They’re awkward... even strange to a world of boxes, systems and strategies. We ridicule them… make little jokes and remarks about them.  These Spirit walkers often seem foolish to us.  Sometimes their lives and actions don’t fit with the program.  You can’t fence them in or make sense of them.  You never quite get what they’re about – And just when you think you’ve figured out a piece of them, off they go again.  They’re usually not one of the boys/girls.  They’re on the fringe… outside the norm.  And while they love the Lord and love people, they’re not bound by our rules, nor do they answer to the world of men.  They're indifferent to the approval of men.  So shall it be with you.  “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8 NASB)

But what these Spirit walkers have in common is that they seek first the kingdom of God, whatever the cost.  And when they do that, God be praised, they find themselves seeking “His righteousness” which comes by actively living out their faith in Jesus.   And God be praised, community is what we are blessed with when we seek first His kingdom – because His kingdom happens to involve people.  And God be praised, we call that community “the church,” which is the heavenly provision and anticipated outcome of God’s people simply being God’s people.  Cool, huh? 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness… (Mt 6:33a NIV)