The Other Six Podcast Episode 150: Living Kingdom First in a Broken World

Devotional

Day 1: Blessing Flows From God’s Throne and Rule

We tend to treat blessing as a private upgrade to our plans, but Scripture begins and ends by showing blessing flowing from God’s reign. On the first page, humans flourish under God’s kingship and then become channels of His goodness to the world. On the last page, the life-giving river streams from the throne, not from our striving. Real blessing isn’t extracted from God; it is received by yielding to Him as King. When we come under His rule, life aligns and overflows beyond us. [10:04]

Revelation 22:1 — The messenger showed a river of living water, clear as crystal, flowing right out from the throne where God and the Lamb reign, sending life wherever it runs.

Reflection: Where have you been asking God to bless your plans while avoiding surrender to His rule, and what is one way you can place that area under His kingship this week?

Day 2: Seek First the Kingdom, Replace Every Rival King

Modern life is loud with pressure and worry, but Jesus addresses the root: who is king. Seeking the kingdom isn’t a minor priority tweak; it is a transfer of allegiance from self to Jesus. He promises that the Father sees our needs—food, clothing, daily provisions—and will care for His children. The reign of Jesus quiets anxiety because we entrust ourselves to the One who owns it all and loves us well. Birds aren’t frantic and fields aren’t neglected; neither are His people forgotten. [26:44]

Matthew 6:25–34 — Don’t let worry consume you about what you’ll eat, drink, or wear. Your Father feeds the birds and clothes the fields with beauty, and you are worth more than they are. Aim first at God’s reign and the right way of life that comes with it, and what you truly need will be provided along the way. Each day has enough of its own; stay with the King in the present.

Reflection: What is one specific worry that keeps revisiting you, and how could you respond with a concrete “kingdom first” step—prayer before planning, generosity before grasping, or obedience before outcomes?

Day 3: Imago Dei: Royal Representation, Real Responsibility

Humanity was made to represent God’s rule in the world—imagers placed in creation to reflect His character and extend His care. With that image came agency and dominion, which we can use either to further the Creator’s purposes or to enthrone self. Though the image is marred by sin, it isn’t erased; in Christ, we are being reimaged as we behold Him. Our daily choices—how we work, speak, and serve—either signal God’s kingship or our own. This is a high calling and a real responsibility, dignified by grace. [17:28]

Genesis 1:26–28 — God said, “Let us make humans as our image to reflect us,” and He entrusted them with stewardship over fish, birds, animals, and the earth. He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and bring it into order,” exercising wise care over every living thing.

Reflection: Identify one sphere—home, work, or neighborhood—where your choices shape others; how could you represent God’s character and purposes there in a small, tangible way today?

Day 4: Repentance is Daily Reorientation to King Jesus

Repentance is not a one-time doorway but a daily way—the ongoing use of God-given agency to choose His will over self-rule. Think of it as mid-course corrections: keeping your heart set by the true North of His Word and Spirit. When drift shows up, you return—again and again—because He is King and you are His. A simple prayer helps: “Jesus, You are King; I step down. Not my kingdom; Yours. Not my will; Yours.” These repeated reorientations restore joy and freedom under His good reign. [53:41]

Luke 9:23 — He said to everyone, “If anyone wants to come after Me, they must say no to self, take up their cross each day, and walk in My steps.”

Reflection: What repeating drift do you notice in your week, and what simple mid-course correction—Scripture, prayer, confession, or a call to a trusted friend—will you practice when it appears next?

Day 5: Kingdom Life Requires Kingdom Family and Community

Jesus taught us to pray with plural pronouns—our Father, give us, forgive us—tying God’s kingdom to God’s family. The way of the King is not a solo path; we need one another to walk the narrow road and to share the blessing beyond ourselves. Faith cannot be a weekend “lanyard” we put on and take off; it’s a shared life that overlaps in prayer, service, and mutual care. As we reorder schedules and expectations around His reign, we find that blessing is meant to flow through us, not terminate on us. If He is your King, be part of His people. [58:26]

Matthew 6:9–13 — Pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, let Your name be honored. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us the bread we need today. Forgive us our debts as we also forgive those in our debt. Lead us away from temptation and rescue us from the evil one.”

Reflection: Who are two people in your church family you could intentionally overlap with this week for prayer or service, and what time could you set to make it real?

Sermon Summary

Blessing is not a private, me-centered upgrade to life; it is God-centered and flows from His kingship. From the first page of Scripture where God blesses His image-bearers, to the last page where the river of life flows from the throne, flourishing is found under God’s rule. Seeking first the kingdom is not a tweak to priorities but a change of kings—dethroning self and enthroning the Lord. When first things are truly first, everything else is set in order, including material necessities that God promises to provide.

Humanity’s dignity and calling are royal. Bearing God’s image means representing His rule—co-regency in God’s world. The ancient coin bearing Caesar’s image announces his authority; likewise, humans announce God’s authority within creation. With that high calling came agency and dominion: the power to extend God’s good purposes or to reject His reign. The fall was self enthroned, but not self-conceived; sinister counsel stood behind it. From Genesis 3:15 onward, Scripture unfolds a tale of two kingdoms—evil versus God—culminating in the Son of Man who receives everlasting dominion. Salvation, then, is not merely forgiveness but restoration to God’s rule—adoption into His family and re-commissioning into His kingdom.

Modern life is anxious because it is self-ruled. Jesus names anxiety six times in Matthew 6 and answers it with His reign: entrust yourself to the Father-King who sees, knows, and provides. Providence is not an excuse for passivity but the pillow beneath faithful obedience. Kingdom-first living often confronts the respectable idol of “family-first,” warning that when we secure our own kingdoms first, we carry a weight we cannot bear.

Practically, kingdom-first means daily yielding to King Jesus, letting Scripture direct rather than merely inspire, and praying decisions through rather than only thinking them through. It means imaging God’s character in relationships and living “up and out.” Repentance is not a one-off moment but a daily reorientation—course-correcting again and again toward His will. In Christ, the true Image, we are being re-imaged from glory to glory, cooperating with His transforming reign. And this happens best in community: the Lord’s Prayer is plural, and the kingdom and family of God belong together. Blessing was never meant to terminate on us; it is meant to flow through us.

Key Takeaways

1. Blessing flows from God’s reign. Blessing is not extracted from God for private use; it is received under His throne. From creation to new creation, life and goodness stream from His kingship, not our control. To seek blessing apart from submission is to miss its source and its purpose. Aligning with His rule is the place of true flourishing. [10:04]
2. Humanity images God as royalty. Being made in God’s image is a royal vocation—representing His authority within creation. Our agency and dominion are gifts meant to advance His purposes, not enthrone ourselves. The more clearly we see our office, the more seriously we take our responsibility and our limits. Image-bearing is dignity with direction. [16:05]
3. Jesus’ reign quiets modern anxiety. Anxious striving grows where self is king, because self cannot secure tomorrow. The Father’s providence frees us from control, rivalry, and hoarding, inviting trust that makes obedience possible. Seek first His kingdom and character, and necessities follow in their place. His sovereignty is the softest pillow for restless hearts. [25:34]
4. Salvation restores God’s rightful rule. The Bible’s throughline is kingdom conflict—evil versus God—resolved in the promised Deliverer. The cross precedes the crown; hidden victory becomes universal when every knee bows. Salvation is not merely pardon but re-allegiance: new Father, new King, new people. Life under Jesus is the restoration we were made for. [39:11]
5. Repentance is continual reorientation. Repentance uses God-given agency rightly—turning from self-rule to God’s will again and again. It is not a single moment but a lifelong cadence of returning, resetting, and realigning. Like a navigator keeping the stars, we keep adjusting our course toward the King. Daily reorientation forms a steady life of allegiance. [53:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[08:10] - Blessing: God-centered, not me-centered
[09:04] - Life flows from the Throne
[14:09] - Image of God explained
[16:05] - Humans as royal representatives
[20:20] - Agency, dominion, and the fall
[24:04] - Anxious age and a new King
[25:34] - Seek first: cure for anxiety
[32:30] - Practicing King Jesus’ reign daily
[38:18] - The first gospel promise
[39:11] - Kingdoms in conflict, not self
[43:25] - Son of Man’s everlasting dominion
[49:41] - Reimaging in Christ’s likeness
[53:41] - Repentance as a daily reorientation
[58:26] - Kingdom and family belong together

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Matthew 6:25–34

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

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.

- Genesis 1:26–28

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

- Daniel 7:13–14

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Observation questions

In Matthew 6:25–34, what everyday needs does Jesus mention the Father knows how to provide?
In Genesis 1:26–28, what verbs describe humanity’s calling (list them), and what do those verbs tell you about our role in God’s world?
In Daniel 7:13–14, what is given to the Son of Man, and how long does His dominion last?
How many times does Jesus name “anxiety” in Matthew 6, and what is the repeated cure given there? [25:34]

Interpretation questions

“All good things flow from the reign, the rulership of God” [10:04]. If blessing really flows from God’s throne and not from self-management, how does that reframe what a person expects from God and what God expects from them?
If being made in God’s image is a royal vocation (Genesis 1:26–28), what responsibilities and limits come with the agency and dominion humans exercise? Where might that agency go wrong?
“Seek first the kingdom” is not a tweak to priorities but a change of kings [24:04]. Why would replacing the king (self to Jesus) address anxiety more deeply than simply rearranging a schedule?
Daniel 7:13–14 shows the Son of Man receiving everlasting dominion. How should the permanence of Jesus’ rule shape long-term hopes and short-term decisions?

Application questions

Where did anxiety show up for you this week? What would it look like to “replace the king” in that exact situation rather than just try harder to manage it? [24:04]
Think of one decision you’re making right now. If Scripture is for direction and not only inspiration, which passage will you let guide that decision this week, and how will you pray it through instead of just think it through? [32:30]
“Playing the family card” can be a respectable idol—putting family before the kingdom in ways that actually burden the family [28:13]. Where might that be true for you, and what is one small re-ordering step you can take in the next seven days?
Repentance is a daily reorientation, not a one-time event [53:41]. Name one place where self is on the throne. What is one concrete repentance step you will take in the next 24 hours?
A helpful picture of obedience is “keeping the stars”—constant mid-course corrections toward Jesus [55:03]. What tiny course-correction will you make tomorrow morning?
Imaging God is active: “image God’s character” to others, living “up and out” [33:20]. Who is one person you will bless this week, and what specific act will reflect God’s character to them?
The Lord’s Prayer is plural and ties “Our Father” to “Your kingdom” [58:26]. Who in your church family will you invite into this kingdom-first pursuit, and what is one shared practice (praying the Lord’s Prayer together, a weekly meal, serving together) you’ll start this month?

Sermon Clips

as much as it's a guide for who who who is God and how do I walk with him. How about this? How about decisions? Instead of just thinking them through, which is what we all kinda tend to do or feel our way through them, How about we pray through them? Wouldn't that be like an expression of living under king Jesus? Let his word determine what his will is. Oh, by the way, when we make decisions about that, let's pray about it and not just do, you know, whatever. How about things like asking God when situations arrive what he wants? Mhmm. [00:08:27] (29 seconds) #PrayThroughDecisions