Seeking The KingdomSample

Top Priority. Period Can there be any doubt that when Jesus said, “Seek first”, He was speaking of what must be the number one priority in the life of every believer? As Jesus went about preaching and teaching, the Kingdom of God was His primary emphasis. Seeking the Kingdom of God must be our highest priority at all times. But what is the Kingdom of God? And how should we go about to seek it? The Kingdom of God is the rule of King Jesus which He has now brought into the affairs of men and nations. Throughout the Old Testament God ruled all creation and its peoples. Yet He kept His distance and allowed Satan, the Father of Lies, to blind the world and shroud it in the darkness of unbelief and sin. Satan was always God’s servant during those many years, and could only do what the Father allowed him (cf. Job 1, 2). But with the coming of Jesus, everything changed. A new order has broken into the lives of men and nations; a new King has ascended His eternal throne; and a new power, in the Person of God’s Spirit, is unleashed in the world. The full coming of the Kingdom awaits the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. But now, and for 2,000 years, the rule of Christ on earth has been advancing against the wiles of the devil, the opposition of men and nations, and the lies and half-truths of the best of human thinking. The Kingdom of God is advancing as the Church pursues her mission and her members take up the daily challenge of seeking the Kingdom of God as their highest priority in all their activities. Where the Kingdom is advancing, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit burst into bloom like spring flowers. No wonder Paul said that all who take up this calling will find favor with God and be a blessing to their fellow men (Rom. 14:17, 18). Next steps: Suppose a young believer asked you about this matter of “seeking the Kingdom.” What would you tell him? How would you counsel him to get started in this most important priority? Share your thoughts about these questions with a Christian friend.