Top Priority

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Almost two thousand years ago Jesus Christ went to the cross to shed His blood for the remission of the sins of the whole world. Before the foundation of the world the plan was set in order for Christ to come and for salvation to be offered to all (Eph. 3:10-11). Jesus, being in the form of God, took upon the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of man, humbling Himself, and was obedient to the will of the Father, going to the cross in order that we might be saved (Phil. 2:5ff.). Jesus was about the Father’s business (Luke 2:49), He was faithful to the Father (1 Peter 2:21-25), and in going to the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins He has made reconciliation to the Father possible for us and provides justification through Him (Rom. 5:1-10). Knowing all that has been offered on our behalf, to what extent should someone be willing to serve Jesus? The church in the first century was persecuted to the point of death, Christians were martyred because of their faith, the Christians were scattered abroad because of persecution, but nothing caused the church to cease. Fast forward nearly two thousand years and to what extent is the church willing to suffer for Christ? Before 2020 many would say that nothing would cause them to assemble with the church and worship, or nothing would cause them to cease from their labors in the church, but when the pandemic started many changed their attitudes towards assembling and many have ceased in their labors for Christ. The pandemic has been an event like we have never seen before, and sadly there have been many to lose loved ones because of it, but instead of allowing the pandemic to draw us away from Christ, serving Christ should be our top priority. It has been reported that worldwide there have been over two million deaths because of COVID-19, and of those that have died because of it, how many souls stepped into eternity being separated from God? In these uncertain times, our top priority must be seeking Christ first!

In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses the issue of worrying about the things of this world (Matt. 6:25-34). Jesus uses the illustration of the birds of the air, the lilies of the fields and shows that the Father in heaven provides for them, and just as God can provide for the animals and vegetation of this earth, He can also provide for us, therefore we are to “take no thought” (“do not worry”) about the material matters of life. Isn’t it interesting to see the things that people have worried about during the pandemic? How many rolls of toilet paper, cans of disinfectant, bottles of hand sanitizer, packs of masks were sold during the previous year? At the same rate, how many spent more time focusing on the spiritual needs of life? How many spent more time studying the Scriptures, how many spent more time in prayer, how many took every opportunity to worship? The priorities of life are realized when we put things into perspective and examine things in this way, and sadly we may come to the understanding that our priorities are not what they should be. During the pandemic, people have not ceased going to buy groceries or go to work but have ceased to assemble with the saints. People trust in masks and social distancing at grocery stores and work but will not trust that process at the assembling of the church to worship God. We need to listen to the words of Jesus, as He reminds us to take no thought for the material matters of life but understand our top priority should be seeking Him first.

We need to understand that each person has the responsibility to set God as our top priority. Jesus says, “seek YE” which implies that the responsibility is individual. Setting God as our top priority and seeking after Him is not something that we can have others do for us but is something that each individual must do for themselves. There are many that believe the false teachings that someone can pray for departed souls, or pay penance for the sinful actions of one who has passed away, but the command given by Jesus is for each of us to seek God on an individual basis. If we were to discuss our jobs, we understand personal responsibility. If one works a certain number of hours, they in turn expect to be compensated for that number of hours, and if someone else was to receive their wages for the time they worked then they might be upset because someone was paid for work, they had done. If one has a certain amount of vacation time but their time was given to someone else, they might be upset about not being able to take the time allotted to them. The command is given for each person to seek God, and this is not something that can be done by someone else. Not only is the command to seek God individual, but it is a priority! We are to “seek ye FIRST.” We understand the idea of being first, as everyone wants to be first place, and no one desires to be less than the best, yet when it comes to rendering service to God, we expect God to take second place to the things of this life.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of GOD”. What is our top priority? When you reflect upon the life that you live, what place does God have in your life? Have you sought after God as diligently as many have sought after rolls of toilet paper over the last year? Think about the priority you were to Jesus. At any point during Jesus being on this earth did He ever cease from doing the Father’s will? At any point during the agony of Jesus in His crucifixion did He cease from shedding His blood on our behalf? The answer is a resounding “no”. Jesus remained sinless, He remained faithful to the Father’s will, and He suffered on the cross to the point of death and doing it all so we might be redeemed by His blood. If Jesus would go to those extremes for us what would cause us to cease from serving Him? We have the opportunity to receive all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and a part of those blessings is being able to assemble with one another for the purpose of encouraging each other (Heb. 10:24-25). Over the past year we have needed more encouragement than ever as we have all faced very difficult times, and perhaps one of the best ways to ensure that we keep our priorities in order is to assemble together for the purpose of encouraging one another.

What is top priority in your life? “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).