In my previous article, we learned the importance of clearing the decks. But uncluttering our lives and removing unnecessary distractions must always be accompanied by trusting and seeking God first. When we’re resting and abiding in Christ, we can confidently leave all other things in His sovereign hands.
Memorizing Scripture Is Not the Same as Understanding It
Every year, thousands of churches and Christian organizations host Bible memory contests for youth. It’s encouraging to watch these kids recite their verses, and it’s amazing how much of God’s Word they can retain.
But it’s all too common for the memorization itself to become the primary focus. Johnny gets praised for a perfect delivery, but when asked what the verse means, a deer-in-the-headlights stare reveals that he missed the core reason for learning it in the first place.
One of the shortcomings of rote Bible verse memorization is that comprehension and meditation can take a back seat. After all, our ability to regurgitate a few memorized words doesn’t necessarily mean we are growing spiritually. Merely repeating words only brings us up to the level of a parrot.
Christians of all ages have experienced this. We recite verses over and over again without giving much thought to their significance.
Memorizing passages is beneficial, but we have to keep the chief end in mind: transformation. Without faith, humble submission and a hunger for God Himself, reading the Bible can easily become an academic exercise.
But when we diligently seek Christ and see the Bible as a love letter written in blood by our passionate Savior, meditation and transformation will flow from memorization. The Holy Spirit is faithful to illuminate the Word for those who are pursuing God.
What Does It Mean to Seek God First?
Among the most popular Bible memory verses is Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Many of us have heard or recited this well-known passage countless times. But how often have we stopped and prayerfully considered how to apply it to our lives in humble submission to the Spirit?
This declaration should challenge us to the core of our souls because there are no exceptions or qualifying stipulations given. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness at all times and in all circumstances. There is no wiggle room.
In our natural state without Christ, our first priorities are the “things” we want God to “add” to our lives. We may attempt to spiritualize self-focused ambitions by adding these things to our prayer list, but God commands us to first pursue what is important to Him.
When His priorities become our priorities, we can completely trust Him to provide everything necessary to accomplish His will and sustain us from day to day.
Seeking God First Requires Trust
Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness requires faith. God calls us to stop worrying about tomorrow and trust Him.
Jesus taught that our heavenly Father can be completely trusted to provide our basic needs, including food, water and clothing. He even pointed to His faithfulness in caring for the birds and lilies of the field that we so easily dismiss (Matthew 6:26-30).
We can only seek God first when we wholeheartedly trust Him and give up trying to figure everything out on our own. He wants our unwavering, childlike faith in His providence in every category of our lives.
He is our divine Director who desires to be trusted and sought always (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Putting First Things First
First things first is a key principle for living an effective life. When applied, it guides us toward disciplined management of our priorities, time and resources.
The challenge is not simply to manage our time and resources, but to manage ourselves. When we bring our day-to-day schedules into proper order, we create more room to focus on something far more important: our relationships.
But that order begins with the first thing first: seeking God.