But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:33-34

Seeking God’s Kingdom is not a one time or Sunday only matter, as the Apostle Peter wrote, we should be even more zealous as we see the day of His coming approaching. Being zealous for God is not a bad quality and it is even praised in the Bible. What is wrong is when our zeal is not based on what is right and what is truth. Here Paul writes that “It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you”(Gal 4:18). Even the Lord Jesus rebukes the Laodicean church and said: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:19 NKJV). Almost all new converts are zealous for God in their first two years but amazingly this zeal is replaced with either boredom or lukewarmness after those years. Some say they have become wiser and settled on the pews, others continue to work and labor for the Lord while some others went back to their old ways and friends.

Laying the proper groundwork in the life of a new believer is of utmost importance not only for their survival but also for their future destinations. When young Christians are not discipled quickly or incorporated in a proper church structure (training program), they can again become entangled into their old ways. I am very fortunate that I was taught by the Lord of this truth early, to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,” because these two things are what summarizes the godly life that we are called to walk on. Almost everyone knows that they are to love God and their neighbour but they don’t actually know how to do it. The knowing of what to do so that we can love others is part of the journey in seeking God first. I love that most often quoted motto: today, God is first, and I believe it has saved me from a lot of heartaches.

This command of loving God with all our hearts, soul and mind and loving our neighbour as ourselves is the fulcrum where “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these commandments” (v.40). What that means is this, everything that we will read and see in the Scriptures are instructions that show us how to actually love God and our neighbour. This is why the Lord said that the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. Paul adds, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion” (Tim 1:5-6 NASB). Solomon also wrote, “With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full” (Prov 8:18-21).

The riches of God are therefore the intangibles of this world, durable and imperishable compared to the gold and silver that this world can offer. No amount of money can buy you peace of mind, peace of heart, and clean conscience. The forgiveness that God offers on the cross cannot be bought with silver and gold or purchased by means of human effort of self-righteousness. The Lord desires that everyone will come to repentance and He is not slack in tarrying but being patient so that we can all have time to repent, all have time to come to know Him so that no one will say that they have not been informed. What are we supposed to do then so that seeking God’s Kingdom will be a daily reality in our lives? Putting God first in our lives should not be a one time event or one aspect of life only, but rather, the goal is really that the whole sphere of our lives would be saturated with Him.

For instance, putting God first practically means of setting aside a time to seek Him everyday whether that means early in the morning or late in the evening or both, it depends on your hunger for Him. But as a student, it also means that we are to be disciplined in using our time, which means, we must have time for everything, including studying for our college degrees and diplomas or fulfilling our jobs well. Grades are important, so are salary raises from a job well done or the health exercises in the gym. I believe that if we can put out at least 30 minutes a day in the Scriptures and even one Christian book a month, we can become the strongest, faith and Spirit-filled believers.

There is no question that we all need to be transformed and that what we put into our minds will definitely affect our behaviour. The reason why many young believers who leave their homes for college eventually return as atheists or scorners is because they have not sought the Lord for themselves. Many of these teenagers have not really heard God for themselves. They have a shallow foundation which must be strengthened by knowing the voice of truth, by having a strong creationist perspective that glorifies God and the Bible. We need to have a godly paradigm to interpret the world and all that happens to us. This Christian perspective is a strong bulwark against deceptive philosophies and false gospels that tries to steal our attention and grab our souls. Unless we have this discipline, we will be easily beset by such false and deceptive ideas as Rob Bell’s no hell, Darwin’s evolution, Rowling’s Harry Potter, Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and many others that can get your attention and mind entrapped.

The Life Application Bible Commentary also suggests some ways to seek God and for us to begin with: A) Realize that your church, for all its faults, is your extended Christian family. Serve it well. Give it your energy and time. B) Eagerly tell people how much Jesus means to you personally. C) Direct your work to projects and purposes that God would approve. D) Keep promises made to family and friends. E) Show a lot of love to the people God puts in your life. F) Get with a group of Christian friends and add three specific items to this list that you will work on during the next month. These friends can hold you accountable.