SEEK FIRST. SEE FIRST
(This is a 5-minute read)
Our need for food, water and shelter is important for health and survival. Yet, people express their class and cultural differences in what they put on the table to eat, where they live and how they keep themselves and their properties safe. What this means is that survival means different things to different people: an impoverished family may be doing all they can to simply scrape by while a middle-class family commits all its resources to keeping up with the Joneses they see on social media, leaving little left for anything else.
Whether facing dire financial situations or living with material comforts, God has the same word for all of us: “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:27,34).
Between verses 25 to 34, Jesus touched on the subject of worry six times! To be sure, the source of our worries begins with what we seek first. Worry is the greatest enemy of our trust in God and people. It makes us constantly weary and unable to worship. Worry itself can become an idol that takes the place of God in our hearts and takes our eyes off Him.
This is not to say that Jesus disregarded human concerns about livelihood but what He was trying to warn us was not to treat the ancillary issues of life as though they are the primary purpose of our existence. When that happens, we adopt a distorted ‘see first’ mentality towards God and anything that does not contribute to the existential concerns that take centre stage in our lives.
‘See first’ mentality is a distortion and contradiction of God’s mandate for Christians to ‘seek first His Kingdom’. It is a subtle tactic of Satan and if he had a deputy, it is called distraction. No one is spared: whether we are church leaders or lay people, we are susceptible to being lured into believing that if we are always occupied, we must be doing something important to God. Or are we?
Our values govern how we live life and guide the choices that we make. They also determine how we rank our priorities, which is necessary because our time and strength are finite and we cannot possibly do everything! But when our priorities turn into a preoccupation, they occupy our minds to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. Over time, an unhealthy form of normalcy creeps into our lives.
Let’s consider three types of priorities that can turn into unhealthy preoccupations.
The Pursuit of Prominence
Business and career success, wealth, societal standing and power – there’s nothing wrong with these as God-given accomplishments but when they become ambitions that dominate our minds, we become not only obsessed with gaining the prominence they offer, but also possessed by the fear of losing it. It’s not only in the corporate world that people seek prominence for themselves. We can constantly seek to be elevated in the eyes of others, to be the smartest person in the room or to be praised all the time because of our insecurities. Even spiritual leaders with special titles can be seduced to think that they have bragging rights.
However, if we are preoccupied with an interest in advancing the Kingdom of God, we will see that it is God who takes prominence in our lives, not the titles on our name cards. We will rejoice when we recognize that all our success, achievements and opportunities come from God, and we take on a humble and right-size view of ourselves.
The Pursuit of Pleasure
Mobile applications enable us to satisfy every craving under the sun on our devices and smartphones. They provide us with a lifestyle of quick fixes including finding a romantic partner during a lonely season, shopping for anything we want anytime of the day, and booking a holiday anywhere. Mobile apps are not only causing global consumer spending to skyrocket, they also make people turn to the pursuit of pleasure as a relief for stress, unhappiness, loneliness and anything unpleasant.
But the Bible tells us in Psalm 37:4 that there is a different kind of pleasure we can pursue: “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This means that if our preoccupation is to please God, the outcome is a very different quality of life.
The Pursuit of Possession
Nowadays, shelter is more than just a home to many people. It’s the zip code, the floor area, the holiday home, the second family car and numerous insurance policies. Our amassment of material possessions can hold us to ransom and rob us of the ability to see our families, our jobs and our talents as something God has given us so that we can make a difference for His Kingdom. Unchecked, the desire for prominence and pleasure only increases our desire for more possessions as a means to differentiate ourselves from others.
As kingdom-minded people, let’s be mindful of the trappings of wealth and success. Indeed, “Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth and turmoil.” (Prov 15:16).
Every kingdom has a king who has access to our lives, and who rules and reigns over our living. The question is: which KING have you given access to rule and reign in your life?
Examine today, what has been your main preoccupation? Are there changes you need to make in 2022 to make space for a more enriching and empowered way of life?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR session held on 15 Jan 2022.
