“The Seeking”

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Our Agreement

As parents, we are all committed to a mission of investing in our children. In the words of Deuteronomy 6, we desire “to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength, and teach these words diligently to our children.” And together, we are trying to work this out. As the principal at my kids’ school wrote to the parents, we are Kingdom Christians – “families fighting passionately together for the heart of the King.” What does it mean to work out Matthew 6:33 – the kingdom principle of “Seeking?”

In the midst of homework, soccer practice, challenges at work, laundry, and everything else that vies for our attention, it is easy to miss the greater story going on every day. Some get overwhelmed and become inward, withdrawn and anxious. Some accept these demands as “just the way it is” and go through the motions of the routine. Some know there is more but can’t figure out how it plays out in his/her day to day. What is not easy is to remember who we are. And remember what we have as a Kingdom Christian. And remember the purpose of our lives and with “passion, hope and vision, fight the good fight and inspire others to do the same” (The Cloud and the Line by Paul Gibbs 42-43). In Matthew 6, Jesus reminds us of this greater story and invites us to join him.

The Verse

First off, let’s look at his Word. Together as a family, read all of Matthew 6 with emphasis on verse 33. Talk through these questions and do some marking in your Bibles.

?: What is the problem?

?: How does Father God describe himself? What does he promise?

?: What is the invitation?

The Context

This verse was part of the Sermon on the Mount – one of the great discourses in Matthew taught by Jesus himself. It begins in Matthew 5 and ends in Matthew 7. What is important to this command in verse 33 is to look back at the preceding verses to figure out the contrast. You will notice the conjunction that begins verse 33 – “But.” You need to go back and look at the other things being sought. Also the pictures given in the beginning of Matthew 6 are pictures of giving to the needy, praying, fasting, serving and living. But Jesus focuses on the motive of the heart in each of these actions. And in specific to verses 25-34, he reminds of himself and his promise to provide all that we need. Jesus does not leave us alone in our seeking. He promises to care for us and free us from a life of “running after all these things.”

Our Take

So, as we set out to “seek first his kingdom,” he reminds us of a few things first – our heart and his promise. Because seeking first his kingdom rules out other things we may seek. And as Paul Gibbs notes in The Cloud and the Line, many times we “seek first second” and miss “fully experiencing God’s provision supplied His way” (32).

Ron and I asked Maya, Ada and Carson this morning about Matthew 6:33, and here is the unfiltered response that enables us to dig deeper. You might find it rich to ask the same questions to your kids and get some conversation going. We are going to be talking more about their words in the weeks to come.

?: What does this verse mean to you?

He finds me.

Wherever you go, you find him.

God loves us so much.

?: What else do you seek?

I seek fights, because I want my own way, and I think I have to do it on my own.

Getting my own way

Getting something done right. I get frustrated when it doesn’t work.

Food

I want the other girls to like me and think I am a good player on the team. I felt scared and unsure. I tried my hardest. When I was walking towards the field, I talked to Father God.

?: Why do we seek his kingdom first?

When we seek his kingdom, we get blessings back. One day I helped Carson Y. pick his books up; I got a blessing, because I got to play on the playground longer.

If we seek him, we will get blessing back in ordinary ways.

We also seek him, because we know he is the one true God.

Another question?

I think I will ask them this tomorrow.

?: Describe “His kingdom.”

If we are seeking it first, what does it look like? Paul invites us to an exercise in his book where we picture our home, school or workplace “as everything going on in that place is happening as things happen in heaven.” Take some time and create this picture as a family.

?: What visual images come to mind when you think of Jesus’ command to love God and love one another in your house, etc.?

?: What footage do you see when you visualize His grace and mercy dominating your home?

?: What would your home look like if the Kingdom of God were your primary concern?

His Promise

We are all on the journey. And Ron and I are still working it out. Even specific to this verse, we still have questions – I mean, what does that really mean – “and all these things shall be added unto you?” And you could also note from our children’s’ responses, we have some great things to be discussing in the weeks to come. So, let us pursue together what he so desperately desires to give us – his heart and his kingdom.