If we are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God every day (see Matthew 6:33), then we should know what the kingdom of God is in the first place. I used to think that the kingdom of God was the mission fields and that to seek it meant doing missionary work.
Then, I realized that the kingdom of God was not something outside you flowing in—“the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,” but something inside you flowing out—“righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
So to seek first God’s kingdom means to make it a priority every day to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness is not your own righteousness based on what you do. It is not good works. It is a gift from Jesus who is your righteousness (see Romans 5:17, 1 Corinthians 1:30). God wants you to be established in the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
“Peace be with you” were the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He appeared before them after His resurrection. He also showed them His pierced hands and side. (John 20:19–20) God wants you to know that His Son’s finished work has given you peace. Your conscience can be at rest because your sin debt has been settled. You have peace with God and the peace of God.
Joy will come into your heart when you see Jesus in the scriptures, worship songs or anointed preaching. It is the same joy from the Holy Spirit which filled the disciples’ hearts when they saw Jesus, His hands and His side (see John 20:20).
So every day, make it a priority to see yourself righteous in Christ. Don’t be conscious of your sins. Instead, be conscious of your righteousness. And whether you are reading your Bible or listening to anointed preaching, see Jesus with His pierced hands and side, which speak of His finished work. See all your sins forgiven, and you will flow with peace and joy. When you do this, you are seeking the kingdom of God!
"I'M HERE TO TELL YOU" EDITOR'S NOTE
The bible says to seek first the kingdom of God. The things of God and His love should be first on your 'to do' list every day. Every day. When we put God first, we are telling Him that we love Him and that we know He loves us. We are telling Him that we trust Him to take care of every situation coming that day. The day flows better when we know that at the beginning, we let go of our grip on life and allowed God to take care of us. God loves us so much. It's so important to know how much God loves us, however, we never can - it's too big for us to understand. That's why, when we look to Jesus and see what He has done for us and realize that God so loved the world that He sent His only beloved Son to be our sacrifice, then we can get some sense of the enormity of God's grace and love. Today, pray to God almighty that He will show you His love by reveling more about His Son and the love His Son has for you. Pray kingdom come, your will - will be done. That's kingdom living.
