Dwight Moody tells us of an experience he made in his childhood years when his parents sent him to visit a family friend who was being held in a mental hospital. This man’s mind remained stuck upon one very well-known Bible text, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
The man was young when he first arrived there and he was poor. He had received a large plot of land in America and, taking his tools, he began the hard work of cutting down as many trees as he could, turning the land into farmland.
He wanted to put an end to the legacy of poverty in his family. After he finished six days of work he went with some other people from nearby to the church. The Pastor came to the pulpit and the message he preached about was, “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Mathew 6:33. This young man got angry and said, “But I do not have time right now to seek the kingdom of God. I have other, better plans right at the moment. I want to obtain a career and become wealthy; I do not have time now to seek for the kingdom of God.” His thoughts were in the forest and how much work needed to be done to make more farmland. Although his body was sitting on the chair in the church, his mind was dwelling on his ambitions and selfish plans.
After another week of hard work he said to himself, “I will not go to the same church. I did not like it there. I will go to another one.” So he went to another church and another Pastor went to the pulpit and preached the same message, “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Disturbed by this message he said to himself, “I will not go to any church any more until I have taken care of my situation regarding my wealth. After I have obtained everything that I desire on my own then I will go to church.”
After many years this man indeed did make a name for himself. He now had everything he wanted so he said to himself, “now it is time for me to go to church.” And he went to listen to the sermon. Looking around him he saw people touched by the powerful word that was preached. He heard them saying “come, Lord Jesus.” He saw them bowing down on their knees and praying with all their heart. When he saw all of this taking place he said to himself, “This is not possible. Am I the only one in this room who feels nothing? Am I the only one here who has not been touched by the message?” Then he went to another church and another one, but his heart was never touched again. Little by little, because of the many worries and stresses brought upon his life due to his wealth, he lost his mind. Step by step he lost his grip on reality and was put into a mental hospital. Then Moody, sent by his parents to spend his vacation there, went to the hospital to visit this man. Moody tells us that he saw him behind the iron bars where he was kept. Moody asked him if he recognized him. Of course he did not recognize Moody, but coming near to those iron bars he spoke to young man saying, “seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
My brothers and sisters, dear friends, no matter what you are looking for in this life, whatever your plans are, seek ye first the kingdom of God because “the heart is deceitful, no one can know it.” If we neglect our preparation for the Lord’s coming, our hearts will not be sensitive forever to the appeals of the Holy Spirit. David tells us in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
As part of His famous Sermon on the Mount, one of the most extensive documentations of His preaching, Jesus addressed the common questions each of us faces in order to survive. “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:25–34. How am I going to meet my needs? Will I have food and drink? Will I have clothing? Many are aware that Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” But what does it mean? Why is it necessary? How can we fulfill this command?
Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. The Apostol Paul says we were bought, not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Son of God. We are not our own, as many people in the world think. An infinite price was paid for our redemption.
Does this mean that we should neglect the necessary daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward these duties. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority, seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others, then He will take care of our business as He promised.
I and my family, by the grace of God, had the opportunity recently to visit Europe. We went to the church I was born in, the local church in Badeni, Romania. What a privilege it was to see our families and encourage them to give their hearts to Jesus and to seek first the kingdom of God. We had wonderful fellowship with our brethren, spending a few Sabbaths with them. The last Sabbath we spent both in Badeni and also in Ploiesti, with a congregation I used to preach the word of God to. It was a great joy for us all to encourage and strengthen each other by the word of God. It is so true that when we accept the Gospel of Christ, the time spent together goes quickly. We do not want it to be over; we want to continue hearing the word of God. What a privilege has been given to those who preach the good news of salvation, the good tidings, as Isaiah writes in chapter 52:7. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”
On the other hand, how sad it is then when you see brethren who once used to be church members, and then all of a sudden for one reason or another they left the church for the pleasures and entertainments of this world. Brothers and Sisters, if we do not realize that we live on the verge of Jesus’ second coming and if we do not feel the necessity of an earnest repentance and conversion, forsaking all that separates us from God, we are not ready to seek first the kingdom of God. We might think we are but our deeds may show something else. What are we looking for in this world? Are we seeking first the kingdom of God? Are we employing all our powers in gaining at least one soul for Jesus?
What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Jesus was pretty clear when He said to forsake all and follow Him. What He said at that time, He means today too. It is true that the Lord wants to give us blessing after blessing. He wants to open every window of Heaven and rain down gifts, both spiritual and natural, into our souls. He wants to fulfill the desires of our hearts. Sometimes we forget, however, that it is humble obedience and faith which brings Him on the scene.
Let us take the example of Solomon. He was about to take the throne of his father, David, and what was it he needed most? Did he ask wealth from God? “In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let Thy promise unto David my father be established: for Thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge Thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge My people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.” 2 Chronicles 1:7–12. We see how God honours His sincere people when they ask Him in prayer for blessings so that they can benefits others.
What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom as the Jewish people believed. It is the place our first parents lost by sin. It is the paradise of God where righteousness lives, where peace and harmony dwell and where all the Angelic beings find joy and happiness in serving their Creator with love. It is the place where Jesus wants us to be forever and ever. He paid an infinite price at Golgotha on Calvary’s cross so that you and I can be in this place.
Putting God first in our daily life means giving Him priority in everything we do. Each morning we come and worship God through a song and by reading the Scripture, taking with us that message through the entire day. Then we go to our work. Sometimes we may forget our morning commitment to Jesus and when night comes, we meditate upon what we asked of God in the morning and what we ended up doing, realizing that God was not the number one priority in our lives. If we just take a moment to meditate deeply on God’s willingness to bestow His blessings upon His children today, how much more carefully will we listen and obey Him. I have sometimes made these mistakes in my daily life and have found that there is an emptiness in my heart when Jesus occupied second place. I did not feel happy and, praise be to God, that He does not give me peace of mind until I put Him first. I realized how many blessings passed me by because of my uncaring attitude regarding God’s will. Then I come back to myself saying, “God help me to love the things You love and go to the places You want me to go.” Nothing else in this life brings more happiness than doing the will of our loving Father in Heaven.
Oh today, if only can we realize that Jesus and His Angels are watching over us. Oh today, if only can we understand what Jesus is doing in the Most Holy place for us. I have seen many people coming to Christ, and their lives have been completely changed. I have seen the joy and happiness of salvation on their faces as they came to the word of God. I stand as la iving testimony of what Jesus is able to do with one’s life. No matter how ugly or ruined your life is, that does not matter, but what does matter is what Jesus can do when that life is put into His hands. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything shall be added unto you, is what the Saviour is saying in His word. Paul said in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Amen!
Nicholas Anca