The Biblical Pattern of Priorities

UV 2797/10000 The Biblical Pattern of Priorities
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
Matthew 6 v 33
The pattern of this world is to first seek all the things they desire like wealth, power, position, fame, influence, comfort creatures, pleasure, greatness, immortality and so on. But the biblical pattern upheld to us who believe is that we seek first the kingdom of God or the rule of God in our lives through Jesus Christ. Our first and topmost priority is to know Jesus, the extent of His love and become like Him in terms of character, attitudes and integrity. He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. When we follow Him with all our hearts, He will add all of the things that the world gives priority to. He will add it in due proportion at the apt time. Like Solomon asked of the Father, we need to seek His wisdom in the words of Christ. The word “seek “ does not mean casually engaging in some activity but with total passion, energy, commitment. It indicates a willingness to lose all else in the pursuit of one’s topmost priority which outweighs all other priorities put together. It is like the gem merchant in Jesus’s parable who sells all his possessions to obtain the most valuable pearl in all the world. Jesus and His eternal kingdom is the most valuable pearl for which we need to be ready to stake all else.
We need to seek the righteousness of Christ by obeying the precepts and principles taught and practiced by Jesus during His earthly sojourn. Our first love, implying our greatest love should be for Jesus. When we do so, all our other priorities and needs will fall in place. Solomon asked for wisdom to discern how he should judge His subjects- the people. But we need to seek the wisdom of Christ to discern His judgements in all matters and to abide by these.
The knowledge and wisdom of Christ will allow the power of Christ or the grace of Jesus to flow in our lives, leading, guiding, enabling, equipping, protecting, providing and using us for His greater glory. We need to offer the “first fruit” of our time, our talent, our treasure to the Lord. We will then become inheritors of the fourteen blessings of obedience enumerated in Deuteronomy chapter 28 and the spiritual blessings enumerated by Jesus Himself in Matthew chapter 5. Though it is a promise that “ all these things shall be added..” it will not be all added overnight or at one shot. The Lord will enlarge us measure by measure, step by step. The word “ all” in the uni-verse means that nothing good is left out of the scheme of things of God for man. Scripture says that no good thing will be withheld or denied from those who love God above all others and above all other things. The miraculous, the supernatural, the spiritual will be intertwined with a natural increase or addition to our lives. The uni-verse implies that we do not have to renounce the world or our possessions in this world. We only need to order our priorities so that we give utmost importance to the Lord, His word and His ways in our lives. As we focus on the Lord, He will bring about the abundance of blessings in our lives- spiritual, emotional, intellectual, familial, relational, social, professional, material and financial. It does not mean we neglect all our other priorities. In fact, the believer exhibits the “extra mile “ passion in all other spheres of life, much more than the unbeliever who gives top priority to his own pursuits of worldly goals.

Prateep V Philip