But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
“Simplicity itself becomes idolatry when it takes precedence over seeking the kingdom. In a particularly penetrating comment on this passage of Scripture, Søren Kierkegaard considers what sort of effort could be made to pursue the kingdom of God.
Should a person get a suitable job in order to exert a virtuous influence? His answer: no, we must first seek God’s kingdom. Then should we give away all our money to feed the poor? Again the answer is no, we must first seek God’s kingdom.
Well, then perhaps we are to go out and preach this truth to the world that people are to seek first God’s kingdom? Once again the answer is a resounding: no, we are first to seek the kingdom of God.
Kierkegaard concludes, “Then in a certain sense it is nothing I shall do. Yes, certainly, in a certain sense it is nothing, become nothing before God, learn to keep silent; in this silence is the beginning, which is, first to seek God’s kingdom.”
Søren Kierkegaard in Christian Discourses (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1940) 322-344; also cited in Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1998) 86-89.