To seek something means that it is not in plain sight for all to see. It means that you have to put in some effort if you are going to find it. Remember back in the day when we would play hide and seek? One child would close their eyes and the other would run and hide. The purpose of seeking was to find he who had hidden himself.

Before we get to this famous scripture, Jesus has been telling us not to worry about our lives, what we will eat, and what we will wear. What we should do instead is to seek first the kingdom of God. Take note, we are not just to seek, we are to seek first. This means that in all we do in life, seeking the kingdom of God should take first priority.

But what is the kingdom of God and what does it mean to seek it?

The kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom yet, it is a spiritual one. The Bible says that righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, that’s the kingdom of God. But just as with any kingdom, it has laws, principles, and a way of life and to seek after this kingdom is to first believe in Christ and put our faith in him because that is the only way we become part of this kingdom. Then what we must do is align our lives to the principles and laws of God’s kingdom. Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform any longer to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Our minds are renewed when we read and apply the word of God meaning we begin to conform to the patterns of God’s kingdom. You cannot be in one kingdom and yet you align your life to the laws and principles of another kingdom. That is why though we are in the world, we are not of this world because we do not live under the laws and principles that govern this world. It is when the laws of these two kingdoms conflict and we have to make hard choices that we and others know which kingdom we bow down to.

To seek God’s kingdom first then means we stay in touch with ‘headquarters’ so to speak through prayer and the word. It means we stay in a place of worship and fellowship with other believers always striving to do what our Father directs us to do. We must be like Jesus who said that he only did what he saw the Father do and this was possible because he always stayed connected to the Father.

Jesus promises that if we stay connected to him then all these other things meaning the things we worry about, life, food, and clothing will be added to us. We will not need to chase after them and we will not need to be concerned about them.

If someone were to take stock of your life and what you spend your time, energy and resources on, could they come to the conclusion based on the evidence that God was the most important person in your life?

What is something you have lost and it took quite some time to seek and find?

How would a day in the life of someone seeking first the kingdom of God look like according to the Bible?

Is that what your typical day looks like? What must you adjust?