First Things first

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

This is such a powerful picture of sowing and reaping. To put it simply, what Jesus is saying here is that when we really put God first in our lives then He will take care of the rest. I think the problem comes in that we have a very low bar for what we consider seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Let's make one thing clear. This is not about legalism in the Christian life. It is about reaping the benefits of a love relationship with God. This is not about being saved or going to heaven or how much God loves you. It is about you making yourself available to all the wonderful promises that God has for you.

This kind of relationship is more than about going to Church or reading our Bibles. Those are pieces of the whole but they are not the totality. And maybe that's a big part of the point.

Our walk with God is not found in some single aspect of Christianity and the things we should do. Relationships are multifaceted. They involve give and take. They involve talking and listening. They cost you. A good relationship will cost you some time and some effort.

It has been said that things that are worth doing are worth doing well. That is certainly true of our walk with God. Getting saved and going to Church is a start, but the true joy in the journey comes as we grow in Him. We learn to hear His voice. We become vessels for His glory. Life becomes less and less about us and more and more about Him.

Take a good, honest look at your life. Does God really get first place in your life? Are you truly seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness? What adjustments do you need to make? What can you do differently?

A life truly given over to God will be a life lived well.