Priorities of Life—First Things First
Photo by Barrett Ward on Unsplash
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34 NIV84) [see full text in button/link below]
What are your priorities in life?
What are your priorities for each day? Without priorities, we tend to drift through life day by day without clarity or direction. When our priorities aren’t clear, distractions can easily pull us away from what’s most important.
Priorities are what we give our attention to in preference over what is less important. When we don’t set our own priorities, we default to whatever else grabs our attention. This can have drastic consequences for us in a world full of distractions.
What grabs your attention first thing in the morning? Do you check your phone for the latest news and notifications, or do you give thanks to the Lord? Is your mind running with thoughts about all you need to do? Or is it hard for you to get motivated?
When our anxieties, doubts, fears, and worries press their way into our early morning thoughts, our hearts get weighed down, wearied before we start our day. Distracted by a foggy maze of uncertainty, we’ll get bounced around like a balloon on a windy day.
I’m a daydreamer, always have been. Sometimes this is helpful. When my mind begins to imagine, I can see possibilities not seen beforehand. Sometimes my rambling thoughts reveal opportunities to step into some new area of ministry. Each time the Lord moved us into a new phase of ministry, He gave me a sense of vision. These weren’t technicolor, supernatural visions like we see in the Bible, but the Lord would show me what could be and how to get there in a general sense. Sometimes I would write these visions out and watch how the Lord brought them into being.
On the other hand, especially with the advent of the internet and social media, my daydreaming turns into what’s called “doomscrolling.” What was once called “surfing the internet.” Whatever you call it, it’s not productive, and it’s not fulfilling. I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t bring my cellphone with me when I go for a walk or a bike ride. Our minds need space to imagine and to rest from all the chaos of our world.
How can we avoid these scenarios of uncertainty?
Each of us needs to determine what his or her priorities are. We need a clear sense of how to start our day, how to move forward in it, and how to rest at the end of each day.
We don’t need more self-improvement guidelines and tips. We need true and right priorities.
We need to put first things first.
Insights
The beginning of this section of Jesus’ teaching focuses on true faith by prioritizing what’s most valuable to us. As mentioned before, who we believe in and trust is more important than what we have in this life.
These last two verses of Matthew 6 are short but pointed. In the original language (Koine Greek), the emphasis is on what we need to seek in contrast to worrying about the needs and wants of our lives.
When we worry, we seek to resolve the concerns and problems of the past and future by our own efforts. As pointed out in previous devotions, trust in the Lord is the antidote to worry. Trust doesn’t resolve things but enables us to rest from our own struggle to resolve what is beyond our capacity, entrusting such things to the Lord.
We are to seek two specific things to bring about a resolution to what we worry about. We are also to live one day at a time and not be concerned about what tomorrow might bring.
True Faith
True faith and priorities. Jesus gives two exhortations with an assurance to guide us each day. What He says is the completion of His thoughts regarding what we are not to worry about and why we don’t need to worry.
Our first priority is to seek His kingdom. Our heavenly Father’s kingdom. The very thing addressed in the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray.
“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”
Matthew 6:9-10
Not the kingdom of Israel or any other earthly kingdom or realm, but God’s Kingdom. Jesus redefined the nature of God’s Kingdom at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in the Beatitudes and with the metaphors of believers as salt and light.
The realm of God’s Kingdom is the heart, our inner nature, not a human government on earth.
In our day and age, many people look to a national government for guidance and provision during times of crisis and peace. I suppose this is to be expected with a limited worldview, but we need to remember the historical reality of government in the time of Jesus and the first church. The first followers of Jesus lived in an occupied nation—occupied by the Roman Empire. Even when believers began to spread out from Jerusalem and Judea, they were still under the authority of the Roman Empire. Eventually, the first church was persecuted for being followers of Jesus. They didn’t find solace in appealing to government officials—their solace was found in the Lord.
Jesus reminds us to seek guidance and provision from God. He is eternal. He is faithful. This is why Jesus gives us the assurance that our Heavenly Father will give us all the things we need. Jesus appeals to us to get our priorities in right order. Simply put, we need to submit ourselves first to the Lord for priorities in life to be in right order.
First things first!
1. Trust in God as the one who rules your heart. Don’t worry.
2. Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
We are not to seek our own righteousness, nor what others think it ought to be. Righteousness is always relational with God. It’s found in a relationship of faith and trust in the Lord. Not in our efforts to be righteous. This is what Jesus indicted the Pharisees and scribes on throughout the Gospels.
These two pursuits are true priorities for every believer. Seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness as what’s most important each day will give us the right perspective on life. It’s a way to reboot our hearts and minds to what’s most important and most beneficial for a life free of worry. This frees us to live in the present moment, unburdened by what might haunt us from the past or concern us about the future.
We are to be childlike in our faith but not childish (see Matthew 18:2-4). Confident and content to trust in and be in a relationship with our heavenly Father. Each day has its own struggles and trials. We don’t need to reach into what could or might be tomorrow’s trouble. Others may choose to worry about tomorrow, but we don’t need to be consumed with those worries.
Think of all the ways the Lord already cares for and provides for you. He’s probably protected and kept you in more ways and at more times than you realize. This is why we can rest from worry. We trust in God. Not in ourselves. Not in a government or in others.
Have you got a better way to deal with worry and the burdens and cares of the past and tomorrow? Of course not! Seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness before you seek anything else. The disciples saw the Lord welcome and bless the little children as their parents brought them to Him (see Matthew 19:13-15). Let the Lord care for you as you trust Him with a similar, childlike trust.
Our Heavenly Father loves us, cares for us, and knows our needs. Trust Him!
Reflections for Prayer
We are to be childlike in our faith. Confident and content to trust in and be in a relationship with our heavenly Father. When our priority is seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, our priorities will be right and true. When we trust in God, we can find rest from our worries.
When you find yourself caught up in worrying about anything, especially what tomorrow holds, ask the Lord to help you reorder your priorities. Choose to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first thing each day. Trust in Him. Rest in Him.
This is an excerpt from a soon-to-be-published book called The Heart and Soul of God’s Kingdom. Look for it on Amazon with my other books— Trip Kimball on Amazon
And you can also see some of my writing over on Substack too! Just click this link– Trip Kimball on Substack
