A Word for the New Year
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
Jesus had been giving a dissertation about the futility of worry, you know, the usual things that folks worry about: food, clothing, and shelter. In this verse, He gives us one of the most blessed promises of scripture. It is really a covenant, that is, “a binding and solemn agreement between two or more parties” (Webster’s Dictionary). The promise of this covenant hinges on our complete and unwaivering response to our end of the agreement, namely, putting God first. Our part is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. Before we do anything else, before we make our plans, decisions, or take a step, we should seek the Lord. He should always be consulted first. Let’s not think that we can handle life all by ourselves, even the most insignificant things. Sometimes folks try to depend on themselves for most everything they do and just bring Jesus along as a “fire insurance policy”.
When Jesus said to seek His Father’s kingdom first, He meant 24 hours a a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and also that extra day in February every leap year. Jesus is Lord every day of the week, not just on Sunday. Oswald Chambers stresses the overwhelming need to concentrate on God. He wrote, “Concentration means pinning down the four corners of the mind until it is settled on what God wants.” Paul told us in Ephesians 4:23 to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Oswald Chambers also wrote, “Concentration on God is of more value than personal holiness”. Wow. God wants us to be holy, but we can’t be holy apart from Him. We must concentrate on the Lord so that we can be consecrated to Him, that is, set apart for the work He has prepared for us to do. Matthew Henry wrote that “we must seek the things of Christ more than our own things; and if ever they come in competition, we must remember to which we are to give the preference.” The prophet Isaiah urged us to “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
Jesus is the King, and we are His kingdom, His spiritual realm. It’s not what we want, it’s what the Lord wants. We are here to serve Him, not the other way around. We are to seek His righteousness. Where do we look? We certainly don’t look at the law nor do we look at the world. The world is the antithesis of righteousness. God’s righteousness comes by faith. When we are born again, Jesus exchanges His righteousness for our sin (II Corinthians 5:21). When our hearts are focused on the Lord in worship and service to Him, He promises that all of our physical needs will be supplied. The world has a hard time believing this, at least their actions indicate their unbelief in the power of God to provide for them. Instead of honoring Him, they want to blame Him for all their troubles. Instead of turning to the One who can help them, they believe the father of lies and so set themselves up for misery and failure. Their minds are blinded to the only real hope that they have.
When we place our faith and trust in Christ, not only for salvation, but also for His direction for our lives, we can agree with the old saying, “All this and heaven, too.” Jesus is Lord for now and for all eternity. In Genesis 45:16-24, after Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt in search of food because of the famine, the Pharaoh urged them to move to Egypt and they would be taken care of. He told Joseph to tell them not to worry about the “stuff” for the good of all the land of Egypt would be theirs. God promises that when we come to Christ, all that He has and all that He is, is ours. The Psalmist in Psalm 84 wrote that “no good thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.”
I wrote the following poem in 2010:
Christ is my life/Man has no claim on me/I am not my own/In Christ, I am set free.//Before Christ came/I was my own worst enemy/Christ suffered and died/He paid my penalty.//
Always put Him first/Concentrate on His desires/Be set free from worry/Your heart is all He requires.//Give Him your heart/Your strength, mind, and will/Trust and obey Him/Every need He will fulfill.//
Seek Him while He may be found/Call on Him while He’s near/Trust Him with your very life/For nothing you will ever fear.
My prayer for all of us is that 2021 brings us health and joy, but we have to, as Jesus said, seek Him and His righteousness first and then reap the rewards of our faithfulness. God is good, all the time.