It occurred to me the other day how everything revolves around the Kingdom of God. This is saying a lot in very few words, and even with more words, I cannot do the topic justice. There are a ton of books you could read about the concept of the Kingdom of God in the bible, the parables about the Kingdom, etc. I just pray to share what I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me concerning it. 

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6: 33

Growing up in UBF, I heard this verse A LOT, but you didn’t know what it really meant. Most of the time, I would imagine the kingdom as a shiny and bright place I’ll go to after I die and stay forever and ever. I hardly knew what relevance it had to my here-and-now, for example, the race I was about to run or the project I had to get finished or the test I was going to write tomorrow. Meditating on it over the years, I believe I’ve gained a fraction more insight on it….

Every word in this verse is, of course, important. But the verse begins with the word “seek”. To seek implies you are looking for something, you have a direction, you have a goal. Depending on that pursuit, you see things, you decide things, you do things. It shapes everything, every aspect of your life. What you seek, though you may not have it this very moment, very much impact this very moment. “First” implies there are many possible things to seek. All of them are vying for our attention. There are the little daily things to “seek” like physically going to work, school, cooking, cleaning, caring for babies, exercising. There are the big things to seek like a career, marriage, a family – in a word, “success” in various aspects. But we are to seek first “his kingdom” and “his righteousness”. So what does that mean?

In Luke 17: 20b-21, “Jesus said, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look here it is,’ or ‘There it is’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” We want to think of the Kingdom of God as a visible, tangible place – and it is – but those qualities are not its essence. The kingdom of God is not primarily a place we will go to after we die; it is the reality of God being King right here, right now, within our very hearts and within the body of Christ, as imperfect as it seems. God was always sovereign and ruling, but his kingdom has come near to us through Christ. It is as real and attainable as the incarnate Christ was and is. At the same time, the Kingdom of God is more than a warm fuzzy feeling inside our hearts and community. It is God himself living within us through his Spirit. 

To seek his kingdom means that we come to see as he sees, desire as he desires, and so do as Jesus did. We begin to see that actually everything God does is for the salvation of souls and the glory of his name. This brings about his righteousness. That doesn’t mean that seeking his kingdom only looks like evangelizing all the time. But it is indeed to do all things with the heart and prayer that all are saved, that God’s kingdom enters each person’s heart. Beginning with my own. Nothing else matters more and everything matters less than that. 

So, the question to ask is: Is the Kingdom of God growing within me? Do I desire his rule to permeate into every part of my life, my being, my community? Do I desire his glory and righteousness to shine in this world? Do I desire him above all else, indeed, above myself? This has to be my pursuit, my deepest interest and longing. I confess, I feel so far away from this standard of holiness. I find myself thinking about things like what to bake, if I should try dying my hair, how I can get back my pre-pregnancy body, what new clothes I should buy for Dani. These are not bad, but these are the other things that vie for my attention. In the end, before the Judge of all, only One thing is needed. 

I want to seek your kingdom, Lord, I want to know what that even means. Even though I’ve written all this and thought much more than I can express, surely, I only know the tip of the iceberg of your glory and majesty. Open my eyes that I might truly see you and be a vessel that reflects your glory. May your kingdom come in me, my family, my friends, my church, and the whole world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.