When Do We “Seek First” The Kingdom?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesFrom a cursory reading of Matthew 6:33, we understand that we as followers of Christ, must make God’s kingdom our number one priority. The question is, “When and under what circumstances should we do this?” The following are some suggestions:
When We Marry
If we are eligible for marriage, it is reasonable that we should desire to “seek first” a Christian as a life-long companion who will dedicate their life to Christ. Far too often, we see young dedicated Christian men and women marry someone outside the church who has no interest at all in spiritual things, and more than likely, never will.
As a result, the faithful Christian must shoulder all of the spiritual burden of the home, and are many times drawn away by their worldly companions, eventually losing their souls. To prevent this from happening, let’s adhere to Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
When We Choose Our Profession
If the Lord’s kingdom is to remain our number one priority, we will never consider any sort of business or employment that would spiritually weaken us or tarnish our reputations (cf. Acts 16:16-18; Acts 19:13-19).
When We Rear And Educate Our Children
What do we want most for our children? Do we care more about their social and physical needs than their spiritual needs? Is our driving ambition that they be popular at all costs, or faithful Christians? (Revelation 2:10).
If we are truly seeking God’s kingdom first, we will want our children to have the spiritual education that will help preserve and strengthen their faith (2 Timothy 1:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:10; 2 Timothy 3:14-15).
When We Make Important Decisions
We all have important decisions to make every day, such as changing jobs, moving to a new location, what the living conditions are, etc. However, for the Christian, the most important question is: “Will this move enable me to better serve the Lord or will it hinder me?” In any important decision that we must make, we ought to pray, “Lord, Your will be done!” (Matthew 26:39; cf. John 5:30; John 6:38).
When We Attain Financial Success
If we lay up earthly treasures, we are foolish (cf. Matthew 6:19; Luke 12:16-21). And if we lavishly spend our substance on the pleasures of this life, we are doubly foolish (cf. Luke 15:13-14 KJV). If we do not put the Lord’s kingdom “first” in our finances, it immediately falls into a lower priority.
Conclusion:
Brethren, we can’t go wrong when we make the Lord’s kingdom our number one priority in all circumstances of our life (Matthew 6:24-33). To do otherwise will cause us eternal regret (Luke 16:19-31).
Related Articles:
- Christian Priorities
- On First Giving Ourselves To The Lord
- Counting The Cost Of Discipleship
- Let’s Give Our Best!
- The Visible “Color” Of Our Spirituality
- Focusing On Spiritual Things Today
- “Raising Your Kids For Christ”