Text: Matthew 6:25 - 34 (Yep, get your Bible out to read) :-)

In this text, the word "seek" speaks of seeking in order to find. The word "first" has the connotations of first in time, place, order, and importance. The kingdom is the rule or the reign of God. Matthew often uses the expression the kingdom of heaven, more so than the kingdom of God, perhaps because he was writing primarily to a Jewish audience. The Jews out of their reverence for God's name preferred to use the term the kingdom of heaven.

Seeking first the kingdom of God involves prioritizing our relationship with God. God's kingdom must be established in us before we can talk about it being established anywhere else. The kingdom of God must reign in our body, soul and spirit. When the kingdom of God reigns in our body, it will determine and affect what we do. When the kingdom of God reigns in our soul, it will affect what we feel. Our emotions come under the authority of Jesus Christ. Uncontrolled emotions, which typically lead to sin, are brought into subjection to the kingdom of God. When the kingdom of God reigns in our soul, it will affect our thinking. The Word indicates that we must have the...