BibleProject | How to Seek First the KingdomSample

Seeking God’s Kingdom Right Now

So what does living in Jesus’ new way of life actually look like?

We learn how to seek the Kingdom of God when we choose to enter the unique story of God, which has a lot to do with exposing the deception used to build human empires, lies that end up justifying neglectful or violent actions toward others. We learn to trust that God is not lying when he promises that his Kingdom is the world we’re built for and that he will bring it into our world. By trusting that promise (more than fearing what our human empires tell us to fear), we can slowly begin to see how we are already free from any ultimate danger.

“Oh death,” says the Apostle Paul, “where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55). He was already seeking first the Kingdom of God above all else, even in the face of punishment by imprisonment and death. The threat undoubtedly scared him, but his love for Jesus and neighbors overpowered that fear. Love compelled Paul—not fear.

Everyone has real needs, and Jesus does not minimize them. He teaches people to give to one another and to receive from each other. It’s a way of seeking the Kingdom first, starting to live right now like we always will in God’s renewed world.

Jesus says that “all of these things will be added to you,” not “you shouldn’t want these things.” Our human desire for survival is not bad. Jesus himself expressed his own desire to survive when he prays in the garden of Gethsemane, “Please take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42a). The cup is a metaphor for the responsibility God gave him to suffer unto death rather than retaliate in order to preserve himself. He’s pleading with God to help him survive another day. But his value for personal security is not above all else. His top priority is God’s will. So after expressing his desire to survive, he also affirms: “Yet not my will be done, but yours” (Luke 22:42b). That’s a picture of seeking first the Kingdom of God even in the face of death.

Lastly, to seek first the Kingdom of God is a way of daring to hope. Jesus’ appointed messengers speak of a day when we won’t need to seek the Kingdom any longer because it will be fully here (e.g., 1 Cor. 13:9; Heb. 8:7-13). It will be a world where everyone deeply, truly loves everyone else. There will be no injury or loss or death, no deadbolts, and no threats.

So we seek, love, and anticipate what is both arriving and already here. We’re almost home.