Kingdom Priorities

Scripture

Matthew 6:25–34 KJV 1900

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Kingdom agenda is God’s blueprint for how all of life is to be lived. It is something that needs to remain at the forefront of our thinking in order to fully penetrate our choices and decisions, thus bringing about the full realization of its convenantal blessings and authority.

Unfortunately, it seems that the message of the kingdom is sorely lacking today. This is not because people don’t speak of the kingdom, but because far too much of their speech is in esoteric, theological “code words” that seem unrelated to the realities of life in the here and now.

The absence of a comprehensive agenda for life has led to a deterioration of cosmic proportions in our world. People live segmented, compartmentalized lives because they lack a kingdom worldview. Families disintegrate because they exist for their own fulfillment rather than for the kingdom.

Churches are having a limited impact on society because they fail to understand that the goal of the church is not the church itself but the kingdom. This myopic perspective keeps the church divided, ingrown, and unable to transform the cultural landscape in any long-term, significant way.

And because this is so, society at large has nowhere to turn to find solid solutions to the perplexing challenges that confront us today—troubling problems such as crime, racism, injustice, family disintegration, poverty, and a myriad of other ills.

It is time for Christians to live by God’s kingdom agenda. We need to align our lives under an agenda that is a comprehensive demonstration of the way our Creator intended every are of life to be lived.

A man once visited the doctor because it seemed that his entire body hurt. Every single place he touched brought great pain. The doctor looked him over and then said, “Well, this is very unusual. I don’t see anything wrong.” He then asked the man to touch different places on his body—and each time the man did so, he cried out in pain.

After a few minutes of going through the process, the doctor pin-pointed the issue. Sir, he said with a bit of a sigh, you have a dislocated finger. Once he got the real problem fixed, he got his pain problem fixed.

A number of us are going through life like the man with a dislocated finger. We have a lot of issues in a lot of areas that are painful, disappointing, or frustrating. It seems like the entire thing is a mess. However, the solution for getting all else functioning properly in your life boils down to one primary principle found in God’s Word. If you can get this one thing right, you will get everything else right simply because this one thing affects everything else.

To live your life to its fullest, and to experience all that God has created you to do, God and His kingdom must be first in your life. God is not to be one among many. The problem in most of our lives today is that God is merely in the vicinity, not in the center. People often tell me they just don’t have enough time for God. What they are really telling me is that God is not first in their lives. This is because a person will always make time for what matters most.

Over and over in Scripture we read that God asks for the “first fruits” of all that He has given to us. One example is Proverbs 3:9, which says “Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce.” When the risen Jesus reproved the church at Ephesus, He chided the people for having left their “first love” Revelation 2:4. Jesus wasn’t saying that they didn’t love Him at all. In fact, He applauded them with these words: “You have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary” v3. But the problem in Ephesus was that the believers there no longer regarded Jesus as first in their hearts,

In Colossians, Christ’s preeminence over all things further emphasized: “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything,” Col. 1:18.

Colossians 1:18 KJV 1900

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

God makes it clear repeatedly in Scripture that nothing less than first place is where He belongs in our lives.

Many of us who own homes have what is called “living rooms.” However, these rooms are misnamed. They should be called “visiting rooms” because most of us live in the den, the kitchen, or the family room. I remember when I was growing up that if I set foot in the living room, I was quickly told, in no uncertain terms, to get out of there immediately. For many people, the “living room” is reserved for special times or special guests. It is misnamed.

Many of us have misnamed God. We call Him “Lord God” but He is only good for the visiting room in our lives. We visit Him on Sunday and in our devotional times, but we do not live with Him. We do not spend the majority of our time in His presence. What is missing for so many Christians is the principle of putting God first. Jesus said that we are to “seek first” God and His kingdom above all else.

But when the God you acknowledge is not treated as God, you do not experience the benefits of Him and His kingdom. The second half of Matthew 6:33 promises that when you put God and His kingdom first, then “all these things” will be given to you. These things are the necessities of life that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 6:25-32. When you prioritize the kingdom, God take care of your needs. But the corollary of this rings true as well. When you do not put God first, you are missing out on all of the benefits and blessings of the King and His kingdom. Seeking God first doesn’t mean that you won’t have problems or issues in life. What it does mean is that you will be well equipped to overcome or get through those problems and issues because life is aligned under God’s authority and His rule.

BENEFITS OF PRIORITIZING GOD’S KINGDOM

It’s hard to miss the theme of worry. But right in the middle of multiple verses addressing our human tendency to worry, God places the very solution to our worry in verse 33. He says that if you will seek His kingdom and His righteous standards first, He will readily grant you all of the things that often make themselves the focus of your worry.

Therefore, you ought to put God’s kingdom first if for no other reason than to reduce your anxiety level. Over 40 million US adults suffer from a diagnosed form of anxiety. Countless millions more no doubt suffer from worry or anxiety on less sever levels. Worry is a common issue plaguing people today. Whether it’s worrying about jobs, safety, health, relationships, flying, income, terrorism, the future, or anything else, worry eats away at many people’s ability to enjoy the gift of life God as given them.

God tells us in this foundational principle for kingdom living that we actually don’t have to worry at all, because God Himself is the antidote for worry.

One day a man was rushing through the airport to catch his plane because he was late. He started weaving in and out of the crowds waling to their gates with moves that would make an NFL running back proud. Bumping into a man dressed in a flight uniform, the passenger paused briefly to say he was sorry. The airline employee asked him why he was rushing so quickly, so he told him that he was trying to catch his flight. “Where are you going?” the man in the flight uniform asked. I’m going to Austin,” he replied. “Well then, relax and stop worrying,” the man said with a smile. I’m the pilot on that flight, and that plane won’t go anywhere without me.”

Immediately the worried traveler was able to slow down and rest, because he knew where the pilot was. Knowing where God is located, and what He promises when you look to Him first, will change your anxiety, frustration, and irritation on all levels.

Think of all the problems you face, and all of the issues that keep you perpetual defeat. Have you put God first in these areas? Have you looked to honor Him first in your heart, attitude, choices, and thoughts? Have you sought His wisdom and will for how to respond to each situation? If you haven’t, then you need to go ahead and worry. But if you have made God and His kingdom your priority, then rest. God’s got it covered