The Fallacy of 'Sequence' in Seeking the Kingdom First

The command of Jesus to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33) is frequently misinterpreted as a chronological instruction, suggesting that once we have ticked the "Kingdom box," we may then proceed to our own personal agendas. However, a deeper study reveals that "First" refers to Priority, Focus, and Bearing.

If "First" were merely a matter of sequence, it would imply that God is at the front of a queue, and once He is satisfied, we can move on to pursue our own needs. Luke 12:29–31 clarifies this by instructing us not to be of a "doubtful mind" regarding what we shall eat or drink.
Jesus explains that the Father knows we have need of these things. Therefore, when the Kingdom is sought as a Principle, the promise is that these needs "shall be added unto you."

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind." v.29
"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." v.31

• The Tactical Question: If your needs are being "added" to you as a result of your alignment with the Kingdom, is there ever a remaining occasion to pursue them as a primary agenda?

• The Reality: When God adds to you, the pursuit of "self" becomes redundant. The Kingdom remains the permanent centre.
  

The encounter between the widow and Elijah in 1 Kings 17 serves as the perfect application of this truth. Faced with her last meal during a famine, she was commanded: "Make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son" (1 Kings 17:13).

• Not a Sequential Leftover: This was not a request for her "spare time" or "extra resources." It required her all.

• The Principle of Obedience: By preparing the meal for the prophet as unto God, she was seeking the Kingdom as a matter of principle. She exhausted her own "agenda" (feeding herself and her son) to satisfy God's instruction.

• The Result: Because she established the Kingdom as her bearing, God’s provision was "added" to her. The barrel of meal and the cruse of oil did not fail.
  

Seeking the Kingdom "First" means it is the lens through which every decision is made. It is the north star of a believer’s life. When the Kingdom is your principle, you no longer live in a cycle of seeking God then seeking things; rather, you live in a state of seeking God, and the things find you.

We must move away from the idea that we can ever finish seeking the Kingdom to start seeking ourselves. If it is truly "First" in principle, there is no room for a second agenda.