But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.
-Jesus, Matthew 6:33

These words are spoken by Jesus during  his famous Sermon on the Mount. As his listeners consider his call to “follow,” they have some questions, “What will I eat? What will I drink? What will I wear?” Basically, will Jesus’ disciples have the basic necessities to carry out God’s will as they throw their old lives aside and make Jesus their Leader? Can he be trusted? Paraphrasing, Jesus answers, “If you put me first, you’ll have what you need [these things being food, clothing, and shelter).” Now, this doesn’t mean we won’t go without basic necessities at times. Paul makes clear there were moments in his ministry he was in danger and he was hungry. But Paul always had what he needed to fulfill the calling on his life. God supplied Paul with everything he needed to run the race marked out for him. Considering Jesus’ words now, the question is, “How do we seek first the kingdom?” And if we take it a step further: “What keeps me from obeying Jesus’ command?”

First, Second, Third..

If there is a first, there must be a second. And because our lives have many components to them, there is a third and a fourth and so on. Imagine you have an empty jar and you’re tasked to fit inside this jar big rocks, middle rocks, small rocks, and sand. Which one do you start putting in the empty jar first? If you start with the sand and the jar reaches its capacity, how will the rocks fit inside of it? You start with the big rocks first. The medium sized rocks and the small rocks will fall into place, and the sand will fall off the rocks and cover all the space the rocks have left inside the jar. It’s only by starting with the big rocks that you’ll get everything to fit.  

Practically, we obey Jesus’ command when his Word and his instructions are the big rocks in our lives. If the jar was labeled relationships, he goes in first, then family, then friends. I make sure he and I have been together in his Word before I put in the medium sized rocks and smaller sized rocks like family and friends. If the jar was labeled time, I make sure I carve out time to be in God’s Word and to be with God’s people. Those rocks are the non-negotiables. For example, the big rock of gathering with God’s people together on Sundays and around his Word in Life Groups go in first. Then, the medium-sized rocks of school or job go in second. If the jar was labeled finances, the big rock of giving to the local church and other kingdom-expanding initiatives goes in first. Then, the medium-sized rocks of rent, the small-sized rocks and sand like eating out and Starbucks go in later. You get the picture. What has God told me in his Word should be prioritized and valued and pursued? I make those things the big rocks. 

Led By What We Love

But what gets in the way? This sounds simple enough. But that’s because we haven’t factored in the human heart. Often, I hear people say they’d like to spend more time in God’s Word or they’d like to gather on Sundays with God’s people, but there is some limiting factor they point out that gets in the way. Time is often the one pointed to the most. But let me be clear on this: it’s never a time issue. It’s a love issue. 

When I was dating my now wife long-distance, there were many nights we stayed up late on the phone chatting. I honestly felt pretty awful the next day heading into work, but it was worth it because I wanted that time with her. Once, a group of friends and I drove through the night from Atlanta to Charleston so I could see her for a quick 1 hour breakfast date only to head back when our doughnuts and coffee had been consumed (she had a doctor’s appointment so she had to leave.) But if given the chance, I’d do it over again. Though we had to drive through the night, I wanted to see her badly enough that I didn’t care if it meant driving through the night. It’s not a time issue, because we make the time for what we care most about.

What gets in the way of us putting God first or seeking first his kingdom is the fact that we’ve upgraded things of inferior value to the big rocks and downsized what is of supreme value, namely God himself, to the smaller-sized rocks, sometimes even the sand. God calls this idolatry. And it’s not an issue of time. It’s an issue of the heart. We chase after what we most treasure.  We are led by what we love. When Jesus is truly the king of our lives, we put him first. When we’ve made something else king of our lives--like school or career or comfort or romance, then God is placed on the backburner. 

Identifying the Idols

If we really want to seek God’s kingdom first, we must look to our hearts and identify what big rocks exist in our lives that hinder us from living out all God calls us to . Two phrases spoken in the heart (and often out loud) help us do this: “I can’t” and “What if…” When called to spend time with God’s people corporately or in a small group and we say we can’t because… or when called to give generously to kingdom initiatives like the local church and we say we can’t because…or when called to daily spend time with God in his Word and we say we can’t because…there’s something our hearts are placing a greater value on than God himself. There’s something you want more. The “I can’t because…” points to a greater love. So when finding yourself saying ‘no’ to spiritual things and using the phrase “I can’t,” that’s often because you’ve made a small or medium sized rock a big rock.

But another way you can identify the big rocks is to examine your fears. The “What if…” cry of our hearts is a serious one. I recently spoke with a young man who feared spending more time with God because “what if” he lost his scholarship and “what if” he had to return to his home country without a degree and thousands of dollars in debt? Obviously, this is a legitimate concern. And by no means should he not work hard and put in as much effort and energy into doing well for his exams. 

But let me lovingly blunt: What if going back to his home country is exactly where God wanted him? What if failing caused him to seek other doors God wanted him to walk through that he had never considered because he was so laser-focused on this path he had imagined for himself? Whereas the “I can’t because…” points to the wrong treasure, the “What if…” points to the wrong beliefs. 

Replacing the Idols 

Now, it’s not enough to identify the big rocks in our lives. We must also work to replace them. The only way we can do this is by believing in God’s Word.  Spirit-producing faith is what uproots the idols in our lives. Interestingly enough, Jesus helps us overcome the wrong treasures and the wrong beliefs in this same Sermon on the Mount by giving us rock-solid, blood bought promises.

Notice what Jesus says in the moments before he says, “Seek first the kingdom” in Matthew 6:33. He writes in the same chapter in verses 19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What’s the remedy for when our hearts are fixed on the wrong treasure? We look to the better one. Does Jesus rebuke treasure seeking? No. But he does if we are seeking earthly treasure. That’s the temptation we have to confront. The “I can’t…” with God comes from a heart fixed on the here and now instead of on eternity. But in Jesus, we have a superior treasure--an unfading, imperishable, undefiled one (1 Peter 1:4) that cannot be taken away.

We move from “I can’t…” to “I can…” when our hearts are set on what is to come. 

What’s the remedy for our wrong beliefs? Notice again what Jesus says in verses 31-32, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” What’s the game-changing factor between a Gentile and a believing Christian? The fact that we have an all-powerful, perfectly loving, benevolent Father.

Knowing this changes the “What if…” the worst thing I can imagine happens changes to “Even if…” because I have a Father who is working all things for my good (Rom. 8:28).

The fight for putting God first, at the root, is a fight to believe in what God has said. Identifying our idols and replacing them is a matter of faith. But as we do, we experience more fullness of joy and life because we experience more of Him.

If you’re looking for a church to call home, we’d love for you to visit King’s Hill.