Seek Ye First...

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

This verse has always been one of my favorites. It always strikes me on two different levels. The first is also the most obvious given the context of the verse. Do not worry about where your next meal is coming from, or how you will get clothing, but seek ye first...

This is clearly addressing the simple concerns of daily life. Making a living, providing for yourself and your family, making money. Its not at all that these things are some how bad for as the verse before says "...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all." These things are good things. It is said in scripture "if a man will not work, let him not eat." and Paul said "let it be your ambition to work with your hands..." Good honest work is a virtue. Providing for your family is a virtue. Paul also said that any man who didn't provide from his family was worse than an infidel.

What this verse speaks about is priority. We should work, we should earn our keep, we should provide for our families. First of all, however, we should seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Often we common christians are content to sit in the pews on sunday, but leave the theology to greater minds. Our lot is to work, to build something that we can pass on to our children. Really what good is theology to a dry wall hanger, or a carpenter, or a salesman?
This verse stands to remind us that knowing God is EVERY christian's business. It is our vocation.
Dusty tomes of theology and debates on fine points of doctrine are not for everyone, to be sure. The question, however, is not "what good is theology to a carpenter?" but "what good is a carpentry when you reason for existing is to know God?"

Now carpentry probably does have some value when it comes to knowing God. All of life, all of creation, is revelation of God. A tree is not God, a rock is not God, but they do reveal things about God. They were born in the mind of God.

So often we focus on piling up temporal wealth, posessions, and so on, that we leave ourselves little time for seeking the Kingdom of Heaven. What is the priority in your life? If you don't know for sure, it is probably the thing to which you devote most of your time. When you examine your life, do you find that thing to be the Kingdom of Heaven... or your own kingdom?

The second level on which this verse always strikes me is related to another one of my favorite verses. "Seek and you shall find". I take this verse as a promise, but also a warning. Seek and you shall find.. but be wary what you seek, because that is what you will find. We seek for many things in life; enjoyment, fun, comfort, wealth. Probably the greatest and most enduring quest in human history is the quest for Truth and wisdom. You might think truth and wisdom are two seperate things, but truth is ultimately a standard, and wisdom is the knowledge of that standard, and understanding of how it should be applied to life. So they are not very far apart.

I once pondered the question of why, if Jesus promised "seek and you shall find" do so many people who are seeking truth end up in false religions and philosophies. The answer I was given was that these people were not really seeking Truth, they were seeking a truth that pleased them, a truth that they were comfortable with, a truth that excited them. Perhaps the greatest danger humans face on the quest of Truth is that of self deception.

At least three different times in my life I have been in situations where the beliefs I had been raised with and held dearly were seriously challenged. I noted that my first reaction and a very strong one at that, was to simply dismiss out of hand that which challenged me. Beliefs are precious to us, they form the foundation of who and what we are, so when they are challenged it is a threatening and frightening experience.
My second response after the initial urge to dismiss the opposition out of hand, was to find whatever resources I could to prove my beliefs to be correct. Essentially to look specificly for information which supported what I already believed.
Only after getting through those two instinctive responses did I come to the place where I began to examine things with the purpose of finding the truth.

Many people don't get past the first instinctive response, and most don't get past the second.

In my experiences I found one time that my beliefs were vindicated and another time my views were partially vindicated and partially changed. The last time, I found my beliefs to be lacking and was forced to change them. It has never been a comfortable experience. I remember the last time I went through this experience and was convinced that a number of my views were wrong, feeling like I had wasted years learning things that I now had to admit were lacking.

This is not an admonition that you should always consider every idea every time it is tossed at you. It is ok to make up your mind on things but you should becareful about what you set in stone.

I believe 100% in Jesus Christ, that he was the Son of God incarnate and that he died and rose again and ascended into heaven. Nothing will change that.

I believe that the Scriptures are the inspired word of God and are reliable and authoritative in everything they teach.

those things are settled in my mind. There were times when they came into question, but no more, I have decided and will not turn back.

Before you settle on doctrines, and teachings, you should look carefuly at why you believe them, and at what other view points hold. If you are presented with a view point that you had never considered before, consider it carefully and honestly.

Through all depend upon the grace and mercy of God and this promise, which I have relied upon, that God gives wisdom freely to all who ask.

You will get wisdom, you will find truth, if you seek them. You have only to make sure of what you are seeking.