Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“Don’t view God as your first priority!” What?????
The speaker explained that all too often many believers spend devotional time with God in the morning, then proceed to their next priority of the day. God becomes a box we check off, the first assignment we complete in a day of many. He said rather than seeing God as a priority, look at him as the motor that runs the whole system. He’s the brain that enables all the parts of the computer to work. Instead of leaving him at the table with our empty morning coffee cup, we invite him into every aspect of the day.
I think that’s what C.S. Lewis meant when he wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” We view our relationships through the lens of Christ. We view our work through the lens of Christ. Our pleasures, our pain, our interactions—all seen through the lens of Christ. This doesn’t mean when I go to a Penn State football game that I yell John 3:16 while everyone else is screaming “Let’s go State!” It means I become God aware everywhere. Christ in me goes with me wherever I am. I realize he’s right there in the bleachers enjoying my enjoyment.
When my husband and I got married, I inscribed on his wedding ring Matthew 6:33. Our relationship reflected the first time I had wanted God’s will more than my own. And Jesus added Chip to my life as “one of those things” when I sought his kingdom first. Through it, the Lord taught me I could trust him to provide for all my needs, from the food I eat to the clothes I wear (Matt. 6:25). To the man I would spend the rest of my life with.
When we see Jesus as the very core of our life, he infuses “all these things” with himself. And I’ve found there is nothing more beautiful, more purposeful, more lasting.
So I agree with the speaker. Let’s not relegate God to a priority, even if it’s the first one. Let’s ask him to reign in every part of our lives. Let him be so much more than first.