All gospel accounts show how people thronged Jesus during His earthly ministry. However, not everybody came close with pure motives. For example, the Pharisees and Sadducees were among those who resorted to Him, but not for the right reason. They did not come to learn from His wisdom, rather their motive was to trap Him. Others sought Him basically because they wanted their appetites satisfied. Jesus had a sharp rebuke for this group. “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:26-27). They demonstrated hunger, but the wrong type.
The first priority is to seek the Kingdom of God. The pursuit of God and His righteousness is the doorway to other blessings. Seeking the kingdom of God will make righteousness the watchword.
Today, we also have millions of people trooping to Jesus; but like the olden days many come for selfish reasons. How are we expected to seek the Lord and for what? This is what is spelt out in our text. The first priority is to seek the Kingdom of God. The pursuit of God and His righteousness is the doorway to other blessings. Seeking the kingdom of God will make righteousness the watchword. We should seek the Lord so that He might rain righteousness on us. Hunger for God must not be informed solely by our material comfort, but the desire to excel in revealed knowledge. Paul expressed this type of hunger. Beyond knowing the blessing of God, he wanted to know the God behind the blessing. We can enjoy miraculous things from God; only we must put first thing first.