Seeking God’s Kingdom First: A Practical Guide for Today

The “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Heaven” is not physical. As Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21 NIV “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” He was referring to Himself.

Dictionary of Biblical Themes says, the “kingdom of heaven”, the kingly rule of God in the lives of people and nations. It refers to the recognition of the authority of God, rather than a definite geographical area, and begins with the ministry of Jesus Christ.”

So what does scripture say about seeking God’s Kingdom?

Matthew 6:33 NIV  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

This is talking in reference to worrying about our needs. Jesus said that if we seek His kingdom first, we don’t have to worry about those things.

The point here is to always seek God’s kingdom, His will and way. That is what we are discussing in the post, what can we do to seek God’s Kingdom?

• Have a Humble Spirit
• Seek God’s Presence
• Set Your Mind on God
• Search the Scriptures
• Give to the Kingdom
• Conclusion

Have a Humble Spirit

Matthew 5:3 NIV “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The reason this one is first so we will check our attitude before going into God’s presence. This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is talking to believers.

We should always adjust our attitude to one of humbling ourselves to our mighty, perfect God. He will not listen if we have an attitude of pride. Why even go to Him if you think you have it all figured out?

Seek God’s Presence

Acts 16:25 NIV “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Paul and Silas had been arrested because they had cast out a spirit from a woman. The spirit enabled her to tell fortunes and she made her bosses a lot of money. So they turned them into the Jews and were thrown into jail.

Their response to this is recorded in the verse above. Instead of getting mad, they prayed and sang God’s praises. God opened the prison gates. Instead of leaving, they stayed where they were. The jailer, assuming they were escaping, was going to kill himself. Paul and Silas told him not to because they had not left.

Because of their testimony, the jailer and his household all became believers in Jesus Christ.

Our attitude should be like David’s every morning, to seek God with pleasure and consistency.

Psalm 63:1 NIV “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

David regarded his time with God as a relief, similar to thirsting where there is no water. Imagine having a parched throat from lack of water and finding how wonderful water can be, that’s how David felt about the presence of God.

If you are not spending time regularly with God in prayer, set a time aside this week to talk to Him. You don’t need fancy words, just seek Him.

Set Your Mind on God

Colossians 3:1-4 NIV “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.“

Because we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have been raised with Him. We should be so grateful for what He did, that it seems like it would be easy to only think as God wants us to. The only way for us to do that is by relying on Him to help us.

Through Him, we can set our hearts on submitting to Him. This way we have victory in Him.

Go to the Lord and ask Him for His help. Tell Him what your problem is, He will help you to set your mind on the things of God.

This will make everyday life much richer and joyous.

Search the Scriptures

Acts 17:10-11 NIV “As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”

The basis for spiritual growth in Christianity is prayer and reading the scriptures. Knowing what God is saying to you is vital to your growth.

The Bereans at that time was known for their diligent study of God’s Word. They were always ready to make sure what someone was speaking or teaching did not conflict with God’s Word.

The same is true today. We should be constantly looking at scripture to see if what we believe or what others are teaching is the same as the Bible. Error is very sneaky, it can take hold quickly. Always check to see if other’s words are sound.

Give to the Kingdom

Acts 20:35 NIV “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Paul is talking to the Ephesians as he is about to leave them. He is telling them how important it is to help those who are weak. Building God’s Kingdom is also about building up others when they need help, especially other Christians.

James 1:27 NIV “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

There are many ways to grow God’s Kingdom. Preaching, teaching, evangelism, loving one another, and helping those in need are just few.

Conclusion

We have looked at several ways for us to put the Kingdom of God first in our lives. This is about our love for Jesus Christ reaching out to others.

As we grow in Him, putting these into practice makes our life more joyful. God will bless you for it.

When you have the time, go over these scriptures and see new insights that God will give to you. Seeking His Kingdom will create a life of joy.