It's been said that the pursuit of Christ is the pursuit of everything because as we pursue Him, He adds all things we need to us. How do we translate and understand that? How you process that will heavily determine the course and outcome of everything you put your hands into.
Matthew 6:33 is a verse we all know, and while there is so much truth packed into it, many people tend to misunderstand it as well. In the scripture, Jesus says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (ESV). It's interesting how Jesus says this in the context of anxiety and how it often rules our everyday living.
We all know what it's like to be anxious about something—about our jobs, our relationships, our safety and even our money. But in all this, God calls us to not be anxious, but instead trust that, through Jesus Christ, we now have access to all we need. Often because of our many trials and concerns, we tend to seek and desire so many things. We seek comfort, provision and identity in all we do, and God tells us He wants to add all these things upon us, but only if we seek Him first.
One of the reasons why you probably love this verse is because of the last part: "...and all these things will be added to you." We like the idea of having all-access passes to the blessings and goodness of God, but does that mean we will receive everything we want?
I once went to Disneyland in Hong Kong. The most amazing thing to me was having access to everything, and the feeling you get walking around that you can get into any ride is wonderful, but with all that, I didn't try everything. Why? Because it would be really silly for me to have to get into a teapot ride with two and three year olds.
Sadly, sometimes many Christians look like that—like twenty-five year olds on a kiddie ride squishing into a small teapot just because you have to 'try everything.' We tell God we just have to be millionaires because we can, that we want to marry a certain person because God 'can add all things to us.' But just because God can, it doesn't mean that He should.
When we truly seek and pursue God with the intent of just getting the free-access pass, we miss the point. So many Christians think that satisfaction comes in the last part of Matthew 6:33, but truth be told, it actually comes in the first part. It is in seeking God's kingdom and pursuing His righteousness that we are already given all satisfaction, contentment and grace. Everything else then will just be an added bonus.
1 Timothy 6:7 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain" (ESV). When we focus too much on the free access to all blessings but miss out on the free access to the Person from whom all blessings flow, we miss the point.
But when we truly seek and pursue God, even just in that, we already receive our heart's desire. We won't need relationships, money and material things, but because God is gracious He adds it anyway. Jesus adds all things unto us, but more importantly, He comes into us and fills our hearts completely with identity, satisfaction and purpose.
