I can’t think of a topic that makes people squirm more than stewardship. Stewardship is a topic many would rather not tackle, but everyone needs to because we all need Jesus as Lord of every area of our life. Stewardship deals with our time, talent, treasure, and testimony. It begins with an understanding that Christ is to be our first love and that this impacts our priorities in life.
Matthew records these words of Jesus in his Gospel: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Christ is giving a summary of His teaching as found in Matthew 6:19-32. He has been addressing our ambitions, what we seek after. He has shared four alternatives: two treasures, two conditions, two masters, and two desires, all to clarify that Christian ambition is seeking after the things that bring glory to God. This makes sense if Christ is our first love.
When Christ is our first love, His priorities are our priorities. He is our first priority. Therefore, we “seek first the kingdom of God.” In other words, we give God our total loyalty. Seeking God’s kingdom is pursuing the rule of God and His righteousness. This righteousness is what makes available to us, through Christ, our being justified (being made right with God), and the continuing work of Christ’s Spirit to sanctify us (making us more like Christ in His love, character, purpose, and priorities).
When we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” He is our first priority, and His will directs all other priorities in our lives. We surrender all to God, and He moves in our lives, providing for our needs as we trust Him. We do so believing that He will give us the best. With the Spirit’s leading and power, this frees us to act in alignment with God’s kingdom agenda.
It’s important to understand that seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness is not first and foremost about doing better, but being mindful that we are in Christ, part of His kingdom, and covered in His righteousness. The outworking of this reality, the reality of being loved by God and loving Him above all else, is having Him as our first priority. This is seen by His kingdom priorities being ours since we are in Christ and part of His kingdom.
We can make God our first priority, not due to our own goodness and performance, but due to being in Christ. Christian’s often look at their growth and kingdom service in four ways. First, God, then me. This thinking realizes that God does all the work to save me, then I do all the work to show Him how grateful I am. Secondly, God, not me. Here again, is a belief that God has brought me salvation, but then, God, not me, does everything else as well. The problem with these first two understandings is that the Bible clearly states that our growth and kingdom service is a matter of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility.
This leads us to the third understanding common among Christians: God plus me. This belief is that we are saved by God and proceed in our growth and kingdom service by living in an equal partnership with Him. Yes, in a sense, we partner with God, but He is the senior partner. But, I believe there is a better understanding.
The fourth understanding, and the biblical one, is God in me. All four understandings get it right that God does everything to save us. The differences occur in how we then grow in Christ and serve as part of His kingdom. The Scriptures teach that by His Spirit, we are united with Christ. We place our trust in God as we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” This allows us to grow and serve by His grace. Our Lord lifts us up in Christ and fuels and fills our efforts by His grace. This happens when we love God above all else, making Christ our first priority.
What we put first in life matters. If we choose to put God first in our living and giving, we will live fuller lives, touch more lives, and reach a greater number of people with the love and message of Jesus Christ. Making Christ our first love and our first priority releases us to be God-honoring stewards of our time, talent, treasure, and testimony in a way that glorifies Him, blesses us, and benefits others. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!