Matthew 6: 33 reads, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
I’m sure that if we searched though archives of Christian writings, listened to recorded Christian sermons, and even had the ability to visit numerous churches on any given Sunday morning, we would encounter this scripture being read, taught, or explained in someone’s testimony. What exactly does “Seek ye first” mean? I thought I knew exactly what this meant, and even thought that I was doing well at trying to honor this command from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s difficult to admit when you have fallen short of something that you thought we were doing so well honoring, but tonight, I must do just that.
When I gave birth to my third child in October of this year, the first thing I began to do was ask God what could I do to be a good parent to this child. (I believe that if you have multiple children, then you have to be a multiple parent because each child has a different personality and different needs that you must meet. You are more than just “a” parent.) The answer that I received hit me head on, and hurt like I had been hit with a pile of bricks. The response was “SEEK YE FIRST…” Matthew 6:33!
“Surely God knows that I am a Christian woman, wife, and mother,” I thought. Where was I going wrong to get a response like this? The answer lied within my PRIORITIES! Yes, the order in which we rank how important things are in our daily lives and routines. God revealed to me that my priorities not only affected my life, but also the lives of my children and even my husband. The priorities that God revealed before me were not merely “to do” list tasks like grocery shopping, cleaning, and errand running, but rather spiritual priorities like spending time reading scripture, meditating, and praying.
I had to think about how I will prioritize my day in order to include my daily time with God. Being a mother of two was challenging enough some days, and now I am a mother of three. I guess subconsciously, I had already decided that I would not have time in my day to read the Bible and meditate on His word. I think I had even decided that God would somehow “understand” and would not hold it against me because He already knew how jam-packed my future days would become. I had basically justified in my mind the messed up arrangement of my priorities! How shameful of me!
In the scriptures before Matthew 6:33, Jesus is speaking about how God takes care of everything, including things that are not capable of caring for themselves like plants and animals, which leads up to His statement in Matthew 6:33. What these words penetrated to my soul after spending time thinking upon them was that I needed to place God at the top of my priority list! One children, or five, God revealed to me that if I have spent time with Him each day, all of my other needs would be met for the day. This does not mean the day will not be a struggle, however, with the Word of God written upon my heart and fresh in my spirit each day, struggles will be easier to deal with, and my motherly and wifely duties can be executed with less frustration and chaos.
I head a testimony being given on television the other day, and the mother stated that changing her wording made a huge difference in her days. She changed her “have to” attitude to “get to”. For example instead of stating, “I have to cook dinner for my family,” she began to state, “I get to cook dinner for my family.” There are numerous people who want to have a family to cook for but they do not. God is using me to meet the needs of my family. What a blessing!
So, it is my plan to demolish my old way to thinking. I will demolish the thought that I would not have time to spend in the Word each day. I would not have time to minister to others through this website each week. I would not be able to fully work in the gifts He has blessed we with. I know that if I only “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD” everything else that I need, even if it is simply a bit of patience, or a little strength, God will provide EVERYTHING I need each and every day to not only meet the needs of my family, but to also meet the needs of my soul. God I thank You in advance for meeting the needs in the days to come!!!
Spiritual Reflections
1. Reflect upon your current priorities. Can you honestly say that you follow what Jesus ordered us to do in Matthew 6:33? If not, examine what is keeping you from being obedient.
2. Even if you are already spending time in the Word each day, what else can you do to show God that you are seeking His kingdom first?
3. Pray and ask God to help you either put Him first on your priority list, or to keep Him first on your priority list. Ask Him to help you carve out time in your day for Him each and every day.
4. Document your plan for making God first in your life. Ask God what changes you need to make in order to keep Him first.
