Before we go further into Matthew and the Sermon on the Mount, this would be a good time to pause and define a couple of things. I keep talking about “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” But what is “the kingdom of God” and what is “righteousness”? What does it mean to seek them? It is also a good time to stop and remind ourselves of the journey we are on and why we chose to take this journey.
It is easy to get so caught up in the business of life that we lose focus on what is important. Through this study, I have found myself saying “I don’t have time to read today. I’ll just read double tomorrow.” But the point of this study is to develop the habit of reading every day. When I put off my reading, not only am I not creating the habit of reading, but I am reinforcing my habit of procrastination and developing the mindset that my daily Bible reading is not as important as everything else in my life.
“First” means that it is the most important thing in our lives, above all else. It is not something we put off until tomorrow and play catch up. It is first. Too often in my life, my relationship with God is relegated to the small amount of spare time that I have. The business of my life comes first, and God gets what is left over. I begin to think that I have to take care of things. I have to figure out the solution to my problems. I have to do all the work. The times that I push off God until tomorrow are the times that I find myself frustrated and discouraged, and the times I start making mistakes. Well, more mistakes than usual. I see people living in anxiety and fear for their future. They are constantly in search of joy and fulfillment. They look to everything except God to find it.
So, what is “the kingdom of God and his righteousness?” I think we often over complicate the scriptures. There is value in the deep theological discussions and analyzing the texts. But sometimes in our efforts to better understand things we forget the point of the teaching. A good friend of mine once told me, “Sometimes simplicity is too complicated to explain.” Sometimes the simplest things in life are the hardest to explain. Just ask any parent of a two or three year old child. The basic message that Jesus is trying to get across is to put God first in our lives, study the scriptures, do what they teach, and follow Christ’s example.
Righteousness is “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” It is defined by an accepted standard of morality. To seek first his righteousness, we are seeking to exemplify a behavior that is defined by a morality based on the standard set by Christ’s example and his teachings.
The short version of the answer to what it means to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” is to live a life studying God’s word and doing what it says. In Matthew 22: 36, one of the teachers of the law asked Jesus which of the commands of God was the greatest.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22: 37-40 (NIV)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” In other words, “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Put everything you have into loving God. To love God, we have to know God and spend time in prayer and studying the Bible. That is how we “seek first the kingdom of God.”
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Seek first “his righteousness.” Live a life that is a reflection of Christ and not a reflection of myself. Christ set the example of loving others and putting others first. When people look at me, do they see me or do they see Christ? Do the things I do every day draw attention to me or do they point to Christ? What is the motivation behind what I do, or what I say, or the clothes I wear? Does it point to Christ? The movies I watch and the music I listen to? Does it reflect Christ? I confess that is a tough one for me. I enjoy good entertainment, and it is hard to find quality entertainment that is Christ-centered. But the question for everything that we do is to ask ourselves, “What’s my motivation?” Is it to bring honor to God or is it to draw attention to myself? Who’s kingdom am I seeking? My own kingdom, or God’s?
The concept of tithing is not a foreign concept to Christians. To give 10% of our earnings to God. It goes back to the Old Testament days of giving “the first fruits” of our labors. Tithing is not just giving 10% of our earnings, but to give the first 10% of our earnings. It is a demonstration of our trust in God and his ability to provide for our needs. It is one example of how we can “seek first the kingdom of God.” If we are giving to God from what is left at the end of the month, there is often not anything left. That is an example of me believing that I have to figure out my finances instead of trusting God to take care of me. It is an example of me seeking first my own kingdom, rather than the kingdom of God.
I have often wondered, what if I tithed my time? What if I gave God 10% of my day? Two and a half hours every day set aside to God for prayer, study, and serving God’s people. I have never tried this. I give God some of my day, but 2 ½ hours every day is a lot of time. My guess is that most of us spend at least that much time watching TV or movies, playing games on our phones, scrolling through our social media, or wasting that much time doing something else that is not productive. Do I trust God enough to dedicate 2 ½ hours every day to him? At this point in my life, the answer is unfortunately “no”. I have too much to do. I’m busy. But the truth is that I have not been disciplined enough to schedule that 2 ½ hours a day for God. What would our world look like if Christians spent 2 ½ hours every day praying, studying the Bible, and serving other people? That, however, is a project for another day. This Foundation Repair project is simply to begin to set daily habits of Bible reading, prayer, and exercise. A foundation that we can begin to build on and, perhaps, build the bigger habit of tithing our time.
For now, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
