Seek First
Over the past three weeks we have applied kingdom language and setting as a metaphor for your role as a senior leader.
It seemed only proper this week to bring that conversation back to its source – an addendum of sorts to this brief 3-part series.
When Jesus taught us to “seek first the Kingdom”¹ in his famous Sermon on the Mount, he wasn’t speaking in mere metaphor. He was being quite literal, revealing the framework for life itself.
The Kingdom is not a relic of the past. It did not die with the arrival of modernity. It continues to be the present reality of God’s order, structure, and culture – a living blueprint for how we lead and love today and into the future.
It is also interesting to note that, for followers of Christ, the Kingdom is not something we “build.”
It is something we enter, something we live within, and something we carry wherever we go.²
The King has already established his domain. Its structure, values, and laws are not up for debate. They are written plainly in the Word of God – the “manual” that defines how life under his reign is meant to operate.
In God’s Kingdom, righteousness is not self-promotion. Authority is not domination. Power is not for control. And growth is not about acquisition.
Those are the world’s manifestations.
In God’s Kingdom:³
Righteousness is a reflection of his Light and an outflow that protects us (a breastplate).⁴
Authority provides confidence and conviction (to stand in and face the storm).
Power is used for courage to advance and strength to serve others (meekness).⁵
Growth focuses on internal transformation (into the likeness of Christ).
Every citizen of the Kingdom is called to two great tasks:
To live within the boundaries and expectations of the Kingdom.
To expand the Kingdom by embodying its culture (shining the Light) wherever we go.
Unlike earthly empires that expand through conquest or competition, God’s Kingdom advances through character, compassion, conviction, and hope.
It moves through love, humility, and truth.
When we meet resistance, we are not called to fight for dominance but to respond in grace. Yes, we may need to “shake the dust off our feet” when hearts are closed.⁶ But we are to leave behind what Scripture calls “the aroma of Christ.”⁷
This is not weakness.
It is strength under control.
It is what earthly kings and queens (leaders; sons and daughters of the Creator God) do when they serve The King.
Kingdom language may sound ancient, but it is far from obsolete.
It offers clarity in an age of confusion, order in an era of chaos, and hope in a world that desperately needs both.
It reminds us that leadership, at its best, is stewardship – a sacred trust to represent the King well in our words, our work, and our witness.
As leaders, we do not impose the Kingdom onto others as we venture into their territory. We reflect it. We model its culture of integrity, grace, and purpose in our homes, our businesses, and our communities.
Wherever God places us, we are ambassadors of a greater realm.⁸
When we lead this way – when our leadership reflects the values of his Kingdom – people begin to see a glimpse of the world as God intended it to be.
May God’s grace, mercy, love, and wisdom abound in your leadership today.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God"
- Dallas Willard
From Amazon: The Divine Conspiracy has revolutionized how we think about the true meaning of discipleship. In this classic, one of the most brilliant Christian thinkers of our times and author of the acclaimed The Spirit of Disciplines, Dallas Willard, skillfully weaves together biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice, revealing what it means to "apprentice" ourselves to Jesus. Using Jesus’s Sermon of the Mount as his foundation, Willard masterfully explores life-changing ways to experience and be guided by God on a daily basis, resulting in a more authentic and dynamic faith.
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Footnotes (NIV)
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 17:20–21 – “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed… because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
Romans 14:17 – “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 6:14–15 – “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place… and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
Philippians 2:5–7 – “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God… made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.”
Matthew 10:14 – “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.”
2 Corinthians 2:15 – “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
MMS 25-44
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