“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” Matthew 6:33

I want to emphasize the two words “seek first” in the above first. We’re familiar with the second part of the verse, “and all these things shall be added to you.” Many times we selfishly pray that God gives everything that we ask, all the things that we want, without paying a close attention to His command – to SEEK FIRST.

Only those who seek the Kingdom of God will find it and with seeking comes the understanding of the Kingdom and how it operates. But how do we seek it? In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus gives us His promise when we seek, we will find it! In Jeremiah 23:13 God also promises when we seek Him with all our hearts then we will find Him.

Let’s look at Jesus’ command – to SEEK

1. To seek is to pursue with vigor and determination.
Luke 15:1-7 gives an example of a man with sheep who lost one. Luke 15:8-10 gives another example of a woman with ten silver who lost one. Both searched diligently and did not give up until they recover that which was lost. We are to pursue the Kingdom of God with determination and vigor.

2. To seek is to study
To study is to seek knowledge and understanding. To seek the Kingdom of God we must be like students, studying the Bible (Psalm 7:2; 2 Timothy 2:15)

3. To seek is to explore
It carries the element of high adventure and the Kingdom of God is indeed an adventure. In exploring the Kingdom of God, we must also explore its power, its government, culture, society, economy and everything. The Kingdom of God is so vast that we could spend the rest of our lives exploring it yet only scratch the surface

4. To seek is to understand
We could pursue something, seeking it diligently yet not understand it when we found it. Without understanding the search is not complete and nothing is truly ours until we understand it. Until we fully understand the Kingdom of God, we can not fully realize its benefits and blessings.

5. To seek is to learn
Learning produces knowledge in practical terms. We need to learn the Kingdom of God so well that we’re able to put it into practice in our everyday lives.

6. To seek involves taking the time to consider, to sit and to ponder in an effort to understand.
This is meditation! Some things require deep thoughts and analysis. Psalm 8:3-4 “When I consider your Heavens …” Matthew 6:28-29 “Consider the lilies of the field …

7. To seek is to have the desire to know.
If we desire to know the Kingdom of God and His righteousness then the King will make sure that our desire is satisfied (Matthew 5:6)

8. To seek is to have passion
If you’re not passionate about the Kingdom of God then you focused on the wrong things.

9. To seek is to pursue with diligent dedication
Diligence always involves discipline. It may mean disciplining ourselves to turn off TV, game, MSN, Facebook, so we can study the Word of God. It may also means rearranging our schedules so we have time to pray. Seeking the Kingdom of God is deliberate and proactive. We will never stumble on it by accident – thus, we must plan it.

10. To seek is to become preoccupied with.
When we seek the Kingdom of God, it possesses us – everywhere we go and everything we do, we will keep focused on the Kingdom of God. Our every thought is determined with the Kingdom of God.

Now, let’s look at the second part “FIRST” – it’s a divine priority!

To put the Kingdom FIRST does not mean the first out of many. God claims the exclusive right of being the One and Only to receive our worship, love an devotion. Exodus 20:3

Seeking the Kingdom of God first means considering the interest of the Kingdom of God before making decisions, when and where we go to school, where are we going to live, who we marry, what job we accept, how we spend our money.

Thus, to SEEK FIRST the Kingdom … is to make sure that our lives and whatever it is that we ask of God, aligns with the Kingdom of God.