Simply Seek 1st the Kingdom
by Chel Garrison
While attending a conference right after New Year’s with our young adult ministry, I was again reminded of a promise of Scripture that is full of hope, but also a challenge to our walk with Jesus. On the second morning one worship leader began to sing a new song:
“Seek first the Kingdom, and its treasure…
everything else, it will be added.
-Passion Worship Band 2024
And in a moment the Scripture that song was based on was pounding in my head.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:33-34 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.
I will say it again: Above ALL else, seek the Kingdom of God. Could it be that simple of a message? It just kept tumbling in my brain. To seek God’s kingdom before you do anything else sounds too simple, almost like the “easy Sunday School answer”. But simple and easy are not the same thing. In fact, often, what is simple is not natural or intuitive. We humans like to complicate so many things. With this thought in mind, I’d like to share with you a few ways you can simplify your focus to be on the Kingdom of God in 2024.
First, recognize that life on earth is setting the stage for eternity. Everything here is temporary. Every job, success, stress, joy, hurt, struggle. While no one knows the hour or the minute when the King of Kings will return, we know with every day we are one day closer to that day. If you choose to focus on this question “will this matter in eternity?” in day-to-day scenarios, you can begin to keep an eternal perspective on your life. If you truly internalize this question, suddenly the stresses of day-to-day life, the interpersonal struggles or the pressures are put into a context that allows you to view them with more clarity. You can lead your heart and mind to understand how the Apostle Paul could say: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT). Fixing our eyes on the prize of Heaven doesn’t just help us to navigate the negative season, it can help shape our priorities and expectations in the mundane day to day. It truly can help us make wise choices on how we spend our time, energy, or talents.
It is no secret, we live in a culture that glorifies busy, hurry, and exalts the overbooked. In the book the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, he writes: “The solution to an over busy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.” (The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to stay emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world)
To focus on what really matters, we must be willing to choose the power of priority in our lives. Most humans can only focus fully on two to three things. While multi-tasking can seem like a gift, it can cause more harm because it divides our focus. When working with clients, I often ask them to establish two to three non-negotiables for their life. These become the framework through which all other decisions are vetted. If something comes along as an opportunity but does not support the non-negotiables, then whatever it is, no matter how good, it is not something to invest their time, energy and focus in.
As an example, to help your thinking around this topic, a woman I coach set these as her non-negotiables:
No social media until I have spent at least 30 minutes in the Word of God & prayer.
No responding to emails or texts after 8pm so I can focus on my family & rest.
I need 8-9 hours of sleep every night, and Sundays are a day of rest.
With these simple (not easy) non-negotiables she is able to make choices every day that impact the world she lives in and every relationship in her life. They may not seem earth shattering but these simple intentional acts are creating for her a life where she seeks God first, honors her family, has work boundaries and takes care of her physical health.
What about you? If you find yourself needing to increase the intentionality of seeking first the Kingdom, these are a few questions to ask yourself that might help:
What is one thing I can do this week to seek God’s kingdom first?
What are two or three non-negotiables that will be the guide for all decisions I make in 2024?
What is one small, simple change I can make to my normal routine that will simplify my ability to keep my non-negotiables?
Who can I invite to do this with me?
If you start now making simple changes every day, at the end of 2024 you will look back to realize your year was marked by choices that have allowed you to “seek first HIS kingdom”. When you choose to seek Him, everything else you need will be added. That is God’s promise to the believer. My prayer for you this year is that the world grows dimmer and dimmer as you fix your eyes fully on Jesus Christ, King of Kings. The One who was, who is, and who is to come.
