“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NAS95)
Recently God has me considering that Lent asks us to seek Him. I know that sounds a bit strange, but I think it rings true. I know traditionally the season ask us to clothe ourselves in sackcloth and ashes (hence Ash Wednesday), but when I hear “repentance” in this context, I hear seek God. Seek His will. Seek His desires. I understand that to mean turn from my selfishness, self-centeredness, self-referencing, and self-orientation. So “seek first His Kingdom…”
God has led me through a long conversation on seeking Him, His Kingdom and righteousness. When He started speaking to me through this verse, my first interpretation caused me to construct a set of things to do I thought were “righteous.” Notice, the “I thought” part. Even though I wanted to seek His righteousness, I ended up determining it on my own, so I remained self-oriented and self-referenced (my way). Nice try.
Today, as the conversation with God continues, it includes the idea of God’s-Kind-of-love, which means none of the “self” things I previously listed. I don’t need to concern myself with self because God already has. Seeking first His Kingdom has meant relaxing in His love, learning from Him what that means, and then asking for His power to live into it, not my idea, but His. In my case, it usually involves some transformation on the inside too, cutting out some attachment that obstructs His desires.
As such, the cross comes into play for me because the most selfless act I have ever witnessed is Jesus crucified in my place. The greatest love I have ever heard has to do with God in Jesus lifting me to resurrection life through His crucifixion. None of this has anything to do with “self-centeredness” or “self-orientation” or “self-reference.” Jesus lived totally confident and caught up in God’s-kind-of-love. God-referenced. He modeled for me the way of life. Seek first the Kingdom….
Lent goes with Easter because it asks us to seek first the Kingdom, the way of life in Christ. The kind of life God has always intended, oriented around His-kind-of-love, and immersed in it. Resurrection, New Life — seek first His Kingdom! God consistently whispers this in my ear. Lent and Easter.
For Reflection:
“Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.” (Psalm 105:4 NAS95)
- What does seeking God’s Kingdom mean to you and how is He speaking to you about that in this season of Lent?
- What are you considering adding to your life or removing from it as an expression of seeking first His Kingdom?
