Day 2 — Seek Him First

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Every day, something will compete for your attention.

Responsibilities, family, work, finances, schedules, phones, problems that need solving or people who need something from you.

Even good things can begin filling our lives until we realize that Jesus has quietly moved from the center to the edges.

We may still love Him, we may still believe in Him, and we may still go to church, pray when we need help, and turn to Him when something goes wrong, but Jesus did not call us to fit Him into whatever space remains. He calls us to seek Him first.

In Matthew 6, Jesus was speaking to people who had real concerns. They worried about what they would eat, what they would drink, and what they would wear. Jesus did not pretend those needs were unimportant. Instead, He redirected their attention to the Father who already knew what they needed.

Then He gave them a different priority:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Jesus was teaching them where to look first before worry or striving. Before trying to control the outcome, seek God.

Seeking God first does not simply mean giving Him the first few minutes of your day and then going on without Him. It means He becomes the first place your heart turns.

When you have a decision to make—seek Him.

When you are worried, seek Him.

When you are confused, seek Him.

When something wonderful happens, seek Him.

When someone hurts you, seek Him.

When you do not know what to do next, seek Him.

This is how discipleship begins moving from something we believe into something we actually live. We develop a new instinct: Go to Jesus first.

Many of us have developed other instincts over the years. We worry first, we call someone first, we search online first, we replay the situation in our minds first and we try to fix everything ourselves first. Then, when nothing seems to work, we pray but what would change if prayer were not our last response?

What if seeking God became our first one?

Sometimes we imagine that seeking God only happens during obviously spiritual moments like reading the Bible, praying, going to church or worshiping.

Those things are important, but walking with Jesus reaches far beyond them. God wants to be involved in the ordinary places of your life too like in the conversation you need to have, the way you respond when someone frustrates you, the decision about your finances, the way you spend your time, the words you speak in your home, he thoughts you allow to remain in your mind, the opportunities you say yes to and the things you need to say no to.

Following Jesus means learning to invite Him into all of it. You can stop in the middle of an ordinary moment and simply pray: Jesus, what do You want me to do here?

That small prayer changes our posture, instead of assuming we already know the answer, we acknowledge that He is Lord.

Instead of depending only on our own understanding, we make room for His wisdom and instead of asking God to join what we have already decided, we allow Him to lead.

Jesus did not only say, “Seek God.” He said: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.”

The kingdom of God is about His rule and His reign so seeking His kingdom means asking more than, “What do I want?”

We begin asking: What does God want? What honors Him? What agrees with His Word? What reflects His character? What would love look like here? What would obedience look like here?

This changes the way we make decisions. A disciple does not simply ask whether something is possible. A disciple begins asking whether it belongs in the life Jesus is leading her/him to live.

Sometimes God’s direction will agree with what we already wanted and sometimes it will not. That is where surrender becomes real. Seeking Him first means giving God permission to redirect us.

One of the most comforting parts of Matthew 6 is what Jesus says before telling us to seek the kingdom.

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” — Matthew 6:32 (NIV)

Your Father knows. He knows what you need before you explain it. He knows the situation you are worried about. He knows the bill, the relationship, the unanswered question, He knows what you are carrying.

Seeking God first does not mean pretending those things do not exist. It means deciding that they will not become greater in our hearts than the One who holds our lives. We can bring our needs to God while keeping our eyes on Him. There is a difference between seeking God’s hand and seeking God Himself.

Sometimes we come to God primarily because we want Him to change something. Fix this, provide this, open this door, remove this problem, answer this prayer. God invites us to bring our requests to Him, but discipleship takes us deeper. We begin wanting the Giver more than the gift. We want His presence more than the answer and His will more than our preferred outcome. We want Him.

Seeking Jesus first may require some rearranging not because God is trying to make your life difficult, but because whatever receives our attention consistently begins shaping us.

If our first and strongest influence is fear, fear will shape us. If it is culture, culture will shape us. If it is social media, social media will shape us. If it is the opinions of others, those opinions will shape us, but when we consistently seek Jesus, His truth begins shaping the way we think, respond, choose, and live.

Little by little, our priorities begin changing. Things that once seemed important may lose their grip. Things we once overlooked may become important. Our desires begin coming into alignment with His and that is part of becoming a disciple. We are not simply adding Jesus to the life we already have but allowing Jesus to reorder our lives around Him.

Today, pay attention to where your heart naturally turns first. When something happens, notice your first response.

Do you immediately worry? Reach for your phone? Call someone? Try to solve it? Become frustrated? Do you turn toward God?

There is no condemnation in recognizing an old pattern. Awareness gives us an opportunity to establish a new one.

Throughout today, practice one simple response:

Seek Him first.

Before responding to a difficult message, pray.

Before making a decision, pray.

Before allowing worry to take over, pray.

Before trying to solve everything yourself, pray.

It does not have to be complicated. Simply turn your heart toward Jesus and say:

Jesus, I want You first. Show me how You want me to respond.

The more often you practice turning toward Him, the more natural it becomes.

What currently receives most of my attention and energy?

When I face a problem, where do I usually turn first?

Is there an area of my life where I have made my own plans without truly seeking God?

What would it practically look like for me to seek God’s kingdom first in that area?

God is first in my life. I will seek Him before worry, before striving, and before relying on my own understanding. My Father knows what I need, and I trust Him to lead me as I seek His kingdom first.