One of the most important things to do as a Christian is seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Your denomination does not matter; this is be a main focus. Simply knowing information about God is not enough; the true journey begins with the seeking.
My own journey began with the verse Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” One morning on my way to work, a church billboard displayed this word, and it immediately captured and etched itself in my mind. I had been asking God many questions about the challenges I was facing, and this was His answer.
What Does “Seeking” Mean?
First of all, you need to actively seek God; He doesn’t barge in. He waits for you to knock:
Matthew 7:7–8 (NKJV): “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
And your search must be sincere and wholehearted:
Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV): “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Becoming a Subject of the King
When you find the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, the King of the Kingdom of God, you then submit to His kingship. When you declare He is the Lord of your life and commit to doing His will, you become a subject of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is not a democracy where you do as you will, but a free kingdom where you live well under the guidance, protection, and direction of the King.
When we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we declare that the King’s will is our main concern—our primary objective on earth. Then, as a citizen of the Kingdom, the benefits of citizenship will be given to you.
The Gift of Righteousness
Our King is a righteous King, not an overload or a tyrant. His righteousness is imputed—or credited—to His subjects on earth. This is the seal of the King—in other words, the blood of the Lamb that covers you, making you righteous in the eyes of God and the order of things.
The righteous are promised blessing and growth:
Psalm 92:12–15 (NKJV): The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
The New Testament makes it clear that this righteousness is a gift received through faith:
Romans 3:21–22 (ESV): But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction…
Romans 5:19–21 (ESV): For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus, our King’s, perfect obedience made us righteous. Our obedience to Christ and our faith in Him make us righteous. The righteous live by faith:
Romans 1:16–17 (ESV): For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The Nature of the Kingdom
The benefits received by the citizens of the Kingdom are spiritual and transformative:
As men and women of the Kingdom of God, we are asked to actively pursue these virtues:
Romans 14:17 (NKJV): For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 6:11 (NKJV): But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
Once you find Him, you can ask God for your purpose and mission in the Kingdom, and He will reveal it to you. What a glorious thing it is to find your life’s purpose in God!
Furthermore, remember the promise of Matthew 6:33: when you have sought and found Him, the good things that the world desperately seeks—security, provision, and well-being—will be freely added to you by God.
This path may seem straightforward, and it is, but the road is not a carpeted one; it is a path ascending a hill. Ask Him to guide you and start your walk with the Lord today.
Leave a Reply