The Top Priority of the Christian Life, Matthew 6:33

How do you plan and make sure that the most important things get done?

Setting priorities and getting things done is one of the most common goals of the modern life. There are books, conferences, TED talks, tiktoks, reels, websites, journals, calendars, etc that all help us make sense of the most important things in our life and then plan them out…

Here’s a summary of what it looks like for me as I move from one week to the next:

My goal for the week is to make sure that I do the things that no one else is going to do. (This is really a life and leadership lesson that all of us can benefit from.) In ministry there are many ways in which our responsibilities cross over, but we each have things we do each week that no one else is going to do. And this is not just for ministry or jobs, this is true for life- marriage and family.

For instance, your family doesn’t have anyone else being you in the home. You are the only one of you they will have. (Spouse, parent, child, etc) And you need to make sure that you are doing the things in your home that no one else has the opportunity to do or responsibility to do.

Whether it’s home or work, you have to assign space and commitment to the things that no one else is going to do…

When I and my family are in the best of rhythms we spend time planning together about the things we all have going so we know each other’s needs and plans, and it’s how we make sure we have space and time with one another as well. Family planning is a huge benefit to any marriage and home.

With the “have to’s” in place, I look at the calendar to see what commitments are already in place?

The next thing I do is list the things that are most urgent and assign them a place in the week, especially the things that I know others are waiting on me to do or work on.

Next, I look ahead at the next 2-3 weeks, the next 3 months, and then make a list of the things that are on the horizon and prioritize them. (I don’t look 12 months ahead each week, but I do that at least monthly) This list of what is on the horizon needs to be put an order of priority. (I find Covey’s 4 grids help a lot, and over time have developed a few different grids myself that work with the same philosophy of urgent and not-urgent, and important & not-important. With a priority list you can assign some space this week and go ahead and build out some space in the calendar to get everything done by the deadline.

In my week I always leave space in each day for the unexpected to happen (margin). We call this margin, and the truth is if you don’t have any margin then you don’t have room for the Lord and relationships. So many of the most amazing moments in life happen in the margin. And, when you are disciplined with the things that matter, you will find more space for the the unexpected blessings that come with margin.

When something is top priority it is the person or thing that you care about over all others. Your top priority is the desire, concern, or interest that comes first to mind, heart, and action.

How do you determine your priorities?

And, how do you decide what the top priority of your life is?

Even with all that I might think through in planning and coordinating my life… the most important thing isn’t at the top of the list… it’s at the center.

So, when I visualize my life, it’s not one list with a top priority… it’s a series of relationships, lists, events, etc that all emanate from a center. Like the spokes of a wheel that all connect to the hub.

So, what’s the top priority that sits at the center of the Christian life? Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 6:33 (ESV), “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The top priority at the center of the Christian life is to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

So, what does it look like for a Christian to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?

Trust God that He cares for you

Believe Him, not just in Him, but really believe Him… that when he says he will take care of you He will take care of you.

Trust God’s grace for you

Jesus says that you are to seek his righteousness. Why would he make that distinction? Because your righteousness isn’t going to earn you anything before the Lord. At the beginning of this sermon in Matthew 5 Jesus makes it abundantly clear that those who are in the kingdom are there by His grace and their posture of brokenness and humility, not because of how grand their righteous deeds are before the Lord and the world.

Matthew 5:2–12 (ESV)

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do what is good and right. It simply means that pursuing your own righteousness rather than the grace of God will cost you in the end. You will find yourself like those Jesus mentions a chapter later in Matthew 7 telling God you did all these wonderful things for him… but he will tell you to go away from him because he only knows those who receive His righteousness by faith.

Ephesians 2:4–10 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

As the OT and NT say- God declares us righteous because of our faith, not our deeds. Then He calls us to a life filled with deeds that honor Him and obey him.. which is the next way to seek the Kingdom and His righteousness.

Trust God’s plans for your life

Christians know and trust that God cares for them

Christians know and trust in God’s grace for salvation.

Christians know and trust in God’s plans and way of life.

What Jesus means by this is that we strive to live for God here on earth, but in a way that would please God in heaven… Like Jesus said for us to pray that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So…

Trusting God’s plans for your life means your approach to life is very different.

But, isn’t that the point… Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16 that Christians and the lives they live are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In fact, he went so far as to say that the world would see our works and praise God and give Him glory for what happens through us.

And, here in the deep south I think you have to consider that being obedient to God may mean you life differently that other people who claim to be Christians.

Kingdom first living is based on comparing yourself to the Word not others.

8 Ways that you demonstrate you trust in God’s care, grace, and plans for your life:

Take God’s Word seriously

You demonstrate whether or not you really trust God by the way you consider what He has said.

Do whatever it takes to be pure and holy

This is situational and relational

Speak truthfully and trustworthy

Your yes, or no, shouldn’t need to be justified or amplified for people to believe you and trust you. Simply say what is true, and be someone people can trust and the Lord will be honored.

Pursue peace, be forgiving, and love those who hate you

There is so much here in the sermon on the mount regarding what to do with those who are harmful to you… Jesus has embodied all of this for us in his trial, beatings, crucifixion, and death.

He has shown us what it looks like to pursue peace… and the pursuit of peace is costly for us, and glorifying to God.

Be generous in your giving to the Lord and to others

You don’t have to worry about tomorrow because God cares about you, and the people he has put in your life as Christians are here for you. That’s one of the things that it means to be members here at HBC. We are not just agreeing on doctrine and church programs… we are committing to be in this together and to be there for one another- like the members of the early churches were to one another. And, if needed, to be there for other churches like they were too!

Pray, depend on God daily, and grow in your relationship with Him

Lord’s prayer, fasting, etc.

Treasure Christ, not people, or the things & experiences you can afford.

This is so hard for so many who have the $, time, and opportunity to pursue more of what this world has to offer.

You have to be careful to make sure that you don’t assume that every opportunity for more money is from the Lord. Money and the time to spend it can be a huge distraction to the things that matter most in life. Scripture is clear that you cannot love God and money… and those with money will have a hard to trusting God for salvation. Why is that? Because you don’t need him for your daily bread… and when our pantries are full we have a tendency to let our hearts and minds empty of the things that matter most.

Don’t worry, be faithful

In Matthew 6:34 (ESV) Jesus said, 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Your life is filled with categories, relationships, lists, and opportunities that are all connected to a top driving and motivating priority.

Are God’s Kingdom and His righteousness at the center of your life?

The simplest, hardest, and most significant change you will ever make is to put God’s kingdom at the center of your life.

But, you cannot fake this to you make it. Like I mentioned earlier about Matthew 7…

Faking it guarantees you won’t make it.

Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

But God guarantees that faith is the way to make it.

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Romans 5:1–8 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.