In current “internet-eese”, we could even call it a “mash-up’ — pushing a Bible verse and a current cliché together to get a deeper understanding. The verse is in Matthew 6 and says, “Seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God, and all that you need will be provided you by your Father.” And the cliché comes from a joke about people (desperately searching for something) who happily exclaim, “It was in the last place I looked!” as if by magic.
And the comedienne’s retort is, “Of course it was the last place, because once you find it, you quit looking!”
So, let’s mash these two items together: A person, desperately seeking the Kingdom of God, suddenly shouts, “I found it! And it was in the last place I looked!”
Grab hold of this Truth: You can seek however long or far for the Kingdom of God, but you’re not going to find it until you find it. And if you haven’t found it by now, keep looking.
People give up so easily and settle for something inferior to their Dreams or Desires: “My knight in shining armor never rode my way and my biological clock was ticking, so…” “Out of high school, our band played every dance place in the county and had more listings than we could fulfill, but Dad needed me in the used car business and that actually paid money, so…”
Dashed dreams, desires seemingly too distant and expedient substitutions. The husband she never intended to marry or the career for which he’d never dreamed…
But should seeking first the Kingdom of God simply fall into that same category as, “I never did find it, and so I settled for…” Settled for what? What could be even a mediocre “replacement” for life in the Kingdom of God?
If you’re one of these who have “sought” for the Kingdom” but (not finding it) have settled for less — how’s it working for you now?
There’s another verse in the Sermon of the Mount (Matt 7) which parallels this previous verse. It read, “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you’ll find; knock and it’ll be opened to you.” Written originally in Greek 2,000 years ago, these verbs have a special verb tense which indicates that their actions need to begin and continue till completion. In other words, “ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking…”
The New Testament describes what the Kingdom of God is like. For one thing, it’s an inward reality that is manifested outwardly through a person’s actions and lifestyle. This “kingdom” isn’t geographically located. It isn’t politically expressed. The Kingdom of God isn’t even denominationally identifiable. This “kingdom” is the place in which God is King and over which He rules.
Does He rule over your life? Then, you’re in His Kingdom. Does He in all honesty not rule over your life? Then you’re not “in the Kingdom”. And since there aren’t a whole lot of “kingdoms” ruling over this world, either you’re in the Kingdom of God or you’re still under the tyranny of darkness. (Col 1)
Where do you look for “the Kingdom of God”?
Well — where do you “look” for your missing car keys? Everywhere possible and in places they can’t possibly be. This directive from Jesus (“Seek first and foremost the Kingdom…”) doesn’t say where to seek, but how to seek.
Looking for a Kingdom? You can look in the Bible. You can look in the face of someone you know who lives there. You can look in other books, media presentations or the Internet. You can look under a rock or your front car seat — but the Key to finding the Kingdom of God is to keep your heart focused — every day and throughout the day — in looking for the Kingdom of God.
If you haven’t “found” that Place in God and in this world yet, why should you expect to ever find it? Because God has already given you the Kingdom. It’s already yours, and He’s not the One keeping it from you. There is nothing “keeping” the finding of the Kingdom of God from you — except not seeking it, “first and foremost”.
It can always be found by people who seek, and continue seeking. People who don’t accept a substitute. People who know this truth:
You never, ever find anything until you’ve reached the last place to look.
Emil B. Swift
© 2008 by Emil B. Swift
