God is not looking for spiritual “gold diggers” who use Him and His kingdom to get rich, or to become popular or powerful. On the contrary, God is looking for people whose eyes are so fastened on Him and Him alone that none of the peripheral attractions are even in view. It is those with consecrated hearts to whom He says, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything else you need.”
Although seeking God’s kingdom first will give us fulfillment and purpose in life, we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily for the sake of becoming self-actualized or having a sense of accomplishment. It’s true that as we seek God’s kingdom, our material and financial needs will be met, but we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily because of the monetary benefits. It is obvious that seeking God’s kingdom results in eternal rewards that are very literally “out of this world.” But we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily to win an eternal prize. We do not seek the kingdom because we love its benefits – we seek the kingdom because we love its King! When our love for the King becomes our paramount incentive, then and only then do we have things in the right order.
Building the kingdom of God must be our primary objective in life, but the underlying motivation must be love for the King. The only way a person can be truly committed to the kingdom of God is to be consumed with love for Christ. If we are driven by a philosophy or an ideology, a desire to make the world a better place or to see a new order established, then our ambition falls into the same category as communism, Marxism, socialism, and all the other “-isms.” Seeking the kingdom of God is in a category all by itself because it stems from a fountain deeper than any motive in this world – divine, supernatural love of the King. This love is the foundation and the driving force behind the kingdom that will endure long after all others have crumbled to dust.
Watch Daniel Kolenda this Monday and Tuesday on LIFE Today. Excerpted from Live Before You Die by Daniel Kolenda. Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Kolenda. Published by Passio (Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group.) Used by permission.
