Make Righteousness a Priority

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Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

What does it mean to pursue righteousness? Well first off. Let’s define righteousness. 

In many places throughout the New Testament, righteousness means being right with God. Being justified or acceptable in God’s eyes. And this comes from putting your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s not about your behavior or conduct. 

However, in the context of Matthew 6, I would say righteousness is about your behavior and conduct. To be righteous is to be good. Having a good character. Behaving in a way acceptable in God’s eyes. It’s this definition that we’re going to be using in our discussion today. Pursuing this kind of righteousness is not a means of earning salvation. It is not a means of earning God’s love. God’s love for His children is unconditional and salvation is a free gift that is received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So we need to see that pursuing behavioral righteousness comes as a result of being saved, out of a love for a God. 

Now, going back to Matthew 6:33, notice Jesus says: seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Seek it first! Make righteousness a priority. 

A chapter earlier, Jesus says:

““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭

Now Jesus is saying to hunger and thirst after righteousness! Desire it! Long for it! Go after it with everything you’ve got! Pursue it passionately! 

When we read the book of Proverbs, you can metaphorically picture righteousness as a point right in front of you that you’re walking toward. Hear what God says in Proverbs 4:

 “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭

And there’s the key. If you’re pursuing the path of godly moral character, you have to keep your eyes directly ahead of you at the prize. The prize is bringing Jesus Christ glory by your character and conduct. 

How do we keep from serving off the path of life? 

God says:

“Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭

What does it mean to enter the path of the wicked? 

Here’s what I think: too often, we say that we want to be pure and not sin, yet at the same time, we wanna get as close to sinning as we can without doing it. But then we end up sinning anyway because we got too close to the fire. 

We tell ourselves: “I’m only gonna have fun and spend time with this worldly person, but I’m not gonna sin like they do.” 

Then, all of a sudden, we find ourselves using profanity like they do. We find myself bursting out in anger like they do. We begin to compromise our integrity. 

We tell ourselves: “I’m gonna watch this movie that contains sexual immorality, but I’m not gonna let it affect me.” But then it does end up affecting us. We begin slipping into unwholesome fantasies and lustful behaviors. 

Jesus says:

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭

We can’t flirt with wickedness! Who we spend time with is going to influence us. What we consume is going to influence us. The environments we spend our time in are going to influence us. And so, if there is something that is going to influence us toward sin or compromising our integrity, we have to either avoid it or get rid of it. 

But on the flip side, if something is good and stirring you toward righteousness and Christlikeness, then by all means, make use of it. Spend time with godly friends and influences. Most important of all, spend time in the Bible everyday. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, Jesus responded with the words, “It is written!” Christ Himself used Scripture to overcome temptation! 

The importance of Scripture is further confirmed by the psalmist who says:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬-‭16‬

So the word of God is key to living a righteous and godly life. And there’s also a lot of other good resources that can be spiritually beneficial, like Christian sermons, podcasts, videos, and articles.

But we do have to be careful. We don’t want to get into the habit of just consuming Christian content non-stop. If you’re just consuming Christian content, there’s a danger of avoiding actual intimacy with God. You can spend so much time talking about God and thinking about God that you forget to actually talk to God and hear from Him yourself. 

So instead of going crazy with content consumption and assuming you know what’s going to benefit you spiritually, try something else. Go before God and ask Him: Lord, how do you want me to pursue righteousness? How do you want me to spend my time? Who should I spend time with? What content should I take in that will help me spiritually? Where do you want me to go to encounter you? 

Ask God these questions and then take some quiet time to listen. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Because the one thing you don’t want to do is to pursue righteousness in your own strength. Doing that will just burn you out. Instead, get into the habit of humbling yourself before God and asking Him to lead you. 

God says:

“Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭

So when you pursue righteousness, do it God’s way, not your way or anybody else’s. 

And finally, remember that pursuing godliness is a process. Sanctification is a process. It’s okay if you’re not perfect. It’s okay if it takes you time. Sometimes, you might need a break from trying and you might need to just rest in the fact that Jesus died for your sins and through his shed blood, you have right standing with God if you have put your faith in Christ as your Lord and Savior. It’s good to rest in that. 

But ultimately, as far as forming your character, don’t quit! Don’t quit fighting to become the person that God has called you to be. 

I close with these verses:

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭

All praise, all honor, all glory be to God forever in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen! And Amen!