Seek First
by Eli Raines
s publisher of the Good News NW I have seen a lot of businesses over
the years. Our community in the Northwest has a lot of great things
going for it. There are so many Christian business people throughout
the Spokane and North Idaho area. Each Christian business has its own
way of sharing their faith, a calender or a plaque on the wall. Some
christian businesses you recognize by Christian music playing as you
walk in the door. It is encouraging to see different businesses
express their devotion to Christ in genuine but different ways.
A few months ago I found myself in a business waiting to talk to
the owner; he was on the phone and I was sitting in the office. He had
one of these offices that had 15 things going on all at the same time.
He has a shared office with his partner, with sales people coming in
and out. As I was waiting to talk to him his wife was in the room
talking to a salesman and she was talking about her home group from
church. She said that they were asking about business advice and how
to run a business successfully.
She said the most important thing about business is to “seek first
the kingdom of God”. As I heard this it was unbelievable to hear this
from an owner of what seems to me to be a very successfully business
in Spokane. She went on about this to the salesman about seeking the
Lord as the most important thing and how everything else takes care of
itself when we make this our first and only goal.
I sat thinking on this and I reasoned. Could we, as we do our
business, seek his kingdom as if ultimately that is all that matters?
But I knew that bills need to be paid and sales need to happen,
calls need to be made and work has to be done. My focus was on her
words as I processed theses things.
That day was a day of new beginnings for me, a challenge to seek
first his kingdom only. That means doing business His way, and not
mine. Letting the outcome be his concern and doing what is in front of
me to serve God first.
As I sat there I knew that heard what God was speaking to me
through this business woman. The office was busy with commotion and it
seemed that I was not going to have a chance to speak to the owner
that day, but I had heard what I needed to. As I left, I told the
secretary that I would try to reach him on the phone later.
I worked the rest of the day with the business woman’s words in my
mind, “Seek first the Kingdom of God.” I had one of those days where
it seemed that everything went right. As I focused on these words, I
thought, “Could the Christian life be meant to be this simple?” You
know how it is when the doubt tries to come in. I thought to myself
that most of my experience in business has been my ideas, and I know
where THAT gets me! Up and Down, UP and DOWN. What about deadlines,
and pressure, and stresses of life?
Could I make a resolution to do Christian business and ministry and
only seek first his kingdom? It seemed that was God’s challenge to me.
The next day I was at a ministry in Spokane with my wife. We met
another couple that day who had a business in Coeur d’Alene and we
started talking about church, family, business and who knows what
else. As we were talking the woman mentioned when talking about
business, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be
added to you.” You can imagine my jaw dropped when she said that.
I told her the story of what happened the day before and how the
business woman said the same thing. She laughed and said that God
speaks in amazing ways and that he must be speaking to me. We sat and
talked to the couple for an hour or more it seemed and I was chewing
on the word, “Seek first the Kingdom of God.”
That night I shared with my kids what had happened, and I thought
I should read the verse with the kids to see what was going on around
the quote. Read what it says in Matthew 6:28-34,
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field
grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little
faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall
we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But
seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.
Could these words that Jesus spoke be the way to bring success to
business, ministry, family, and anything in life? God wants every
business to be the best business. No matter what you do I believe God
wants you to be the best. The best starts with and finishes with,
“Seek first the Kingdom of God.” As we do this we can truly serve God
and the people around us with a focus on serving.
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