The Divine Priority Mandate

The Divine Command: Seek

· To seek means to pursue with vigor and determination. The idea is that of a diligent, unceasing search until the object of the search is found.

· To seek also means to study. Students seek knowledge and understanding. In the same way, Kingdom citizens must be students of the Kingdom and its constitution, the Bible. Seeking the Kingdom means studying it with diligence. Only by committed and rigorous study can the secrets of the Kingdom and the Word of God become known to us. As we study, the Spirit of God will open our minds to understand.

· Seeking also means to explore. Human explorers through the ages traveled the globe seeking new lands, new peoples, new horizons. Exploring carries the element of high adventure, and the Kingdom of God is indeed an adventure. We must explore the Kingdom; we must explore its power, its laws, its government, its culture, its society, its commands, its economy, its taxation—everything. The Kingdom of God is so vast that we could spend the rest of our lives exploring it yet only scratch the surface.

· Another critical aspect of seeking is understanding. We could pursue something, seeking it diligently, yet not understand it when we found it. Without understanding, the search is not complete. Nothing is truly ours until we understand the Kingdom we cannot properly teach it, pass it on or fully realize its benefits and blessings. Once we understand for ourselves, then the promises of the Kingdom will begin manifesting in our lives.

· To seek also means to learn. Learning is more than mental knowledge of facts and information; the knowledge must be reproducible in practical terms. This means demonstrating the ability to perform the action learned as well as teach it to someone else so that they learn it also.

· Seeking also involves taking the time to consider, to sit and ponder something in an effort to understand. This is similar of course, to meditation. Some things require deep thought and analysis before they become comprehensible.

Finally, to seek the Kingdom means to become preoccupied with the Kingdom. If we are seeking the Kingdom, that means we are thinking about it all day long. It possesses us. Everywhere we go and with everything we do and say we are focused on the Kingdom. We evaluate every decision in light of how it will affect our pursuit of the Kingdom. Our every thought, word, motive, and action is “Kingdom First!”

The Divine Command: First

· If the Divine Command is to seek the Kingdom of God, the Divine Priority is that we must seek it first.

· Seeking the Kingdom first means that we pursue it as the principal thing, the first thing above and before and beyond all other things.

· First means that the Kingdom of God is more important to us than anything else. It means that we place the highest value of all on the Kingdom and stand ready to sacrifice anything and everything else for its sake.

· First means that we establish the Kingdom as our primary interest. All other priorities in life are secondary to the priority of the Kingdom and so far below it as to be almost nonexistent by comparison.

· Kingdom first does not mean first among many, but first and only.

· Seeking the Kingdom of God first means considering the interests of the Kingdom before making decisions—when and where we go to school, who we marry, what job we accept, how we spend our money. Before deciding on these and other issues, we need to ask the question, “Is this in line with the Kingdom of God?”

Developing the habit of considering the Kingdom first will help you avoid a lot of mistakes and bad decisions.

The Divine Object: The Kingdom of God

· If the Kingdom priority is so important, we had better know what the Kingdom is and how it functions.

· Kingdom is God’s government. It is His rulership and dominion over Heaven and earth. In practical terms it refers to His universal jurisdiction and executed will over all creation.

· The word kingdom also means to have influence over a territory. When we seek first the Kingdom of God we are seeking His influence to be extended over the entire world in our private life, our business life, our marriage life, our relationships, our sexual life, and all other dimensions of life.

· In the Bible, the Hebrew word for “kingdom” is mamlakah; the New Testament Greek word is basileia. Both words carry the same general range of meaning: king, sovereignty, dominion, control, reign, rulership, and royal power.

We can define a kingdom, as: “The governing influence of a king over his territory (domain), impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent, producing a culture, values, morals and lifestyle that reflect the king’s desire and nature for his citizens.

The Divine Position: God’s Righteousness

In addition to seeking first the Kingdom of God, we are to seek also His righteousness. This is not a first and second priority, but two parts of one complete whole. God’s Kingdom cannot be separate from His righteousness. A kingdom always reflect the nature and character of the king. God is righteous and therefore His Kingdom is also righteous.

· Righteousness simply means to be in conformity with the laws of the country.

· Righteousness means right positioning with the government.

· Righteousness is the vertical dimension that deals with position: relationship, right standing, disposition, and authority. It is priesthood.

· Righteousness is our relationship with the government.

· Righteousness is the key to abundant Kingdom living.

· Holiness is the manifestation of righteousness.

· The pursuit of righteousness is the fundamental operating principle for citizens of the Kingdom of God.

· Righteousness is its own reward.

· Righteousness is not only personal but also corporate.

· Righteousness brings reward and the link between the two is obedience.

· Righteousness is the solution to poverty.

Righteousness guarantees that we will receive all the rights that are ours under Kingdom law.