Seek First the Kingdom: Pursue a Full Life with Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Seek first the kingdom at the year’s start

The way you begin sets the path you walk. Before you rush into plans, give Jesus your heart’s affection and your mind’s attention. Choose to place His kingdom above every task, goal, and demand; then entrust “everything else” to His care. As you pray and worship, let Him set your direction and reorder your loves. Start here, and you’ll find the strength and clarity you’ve been chasing. [20:48]

Matthew 6:33 — Make God’s kingdom and His right ways your top pursuit, and all the other needs of life will be cared for in their proper time.

Reflection: What is one concrete “seek first” habit you will practice before work or school each day this week, and how will you guard that time?

Day 2: Full life is found in Jesus alone

Disciplines and rhythms matter, but without Jesus at the center they leave us strangely empty. A new year can tempt us to think more effort or achievement will finally make us whole. Hard days will come, yet you don’t have to face them hollow; walk with Jesus and you’ll carry purpose through every valley. Invite Him into your routines so that your practices become places of encounter, not just boxes to check. Let His presence, not your performance, be the source of your fulfillment. [38:30]

John 10:10 — The enemy aims to rob and ruin, but the Son came so people could share in a life that overflows with His goodness.

Reflection: Where are you relying on routines or achievements to feel fulfilled, and what is one specific way you will invite Jesus into that space this week?

Day 3: Burn the plows and leave average behind

Some things from past seasons can’t come with you into the life God is calling you to live. Comfort can smother growth, and what you refuse to release can quietly become an idol. Like Elisha, it may be time to break the old tools, light the fire, and feed others with the testimony of what God brought you through. Forgiveness is not forgetting; it is choosing freedom so you can move forward. Walk out of the cave into the light and take the next step with courage. [57:38]

1 Kings 19:19–21 — Elijah found Elisha hard at work behind twelve yoke of oxen. He placed his mantle on him, signaling a call from God. Elisha asked to honor his parents, then slaughtered the oxen, used the plow for fuel to cook the meat, fed the people, and set out to follow and serve Elijah.

Reflection: What is one “plow” (habit, grievance, or safety net) you sense God asking you to lay down, and what specific action will you take this week to break with it?

Day 4: Move from maintenance to growth mindset

Maintenance asks, “What’s the least I can do to keep this running?” Growth asks, “God, what would You have me do—and I’ll do it.” You won’t grow deeper spiritually while clinging to personal comfort. Become comfortable being uncomfortable, trusting that obedience will stretch you in the best ways. Take the next step He shows you, even if it feels small, and keep stepping. [46:58]

Luke 9:23 — If anyone wants to follow Me, they must say no to themselves, shoulder their cross each day, and keep in step behind Me.

Reflection: Which practice will you intentionally stretch beyond comfort this week—prayer, Scripture, community, or serving—and how exactly will you do it?

Day 5: Plow your field; God finds the faithful

God often entrusts new assignments to people faithfully working in the fields already in front of them. Be present where He planted you—home, work, school, church—and put your hands to the plow with all your heart. Stop negotiating the timing of obedience; the best step is the next step. Your story can feed someone else’s faith, so offer it generously. Faithful in the small opens the door to the more. [53:59]

Luke 16:10 — Whoever proves trustworthy with little can be trusted with much, and whoever cuts corners in small things will do the same when the stakes are higher.

Reflection: Where has God placed you right now that needs steady faithfulness, and what one act of service or encouragement will you offer there this week to bless someone else?

Sermon Summary

Begin 2026 by aiming true: seek first the kingdom of God and let every other pursuit find its place. The direction one starts is the direction one goes, and realignment begins with the heart’s affection and the mind’s attention set on Jesus. Many resolve to adopt new rhythms each January, but John 10:10 insists that fullness is not the fruit of self-improvement projects; it is the gift of union with Christ. Disciplines matter, but without Jesus at the center they become self-salvation strategies that exhaust rather than satisfy. Expect challenges this year, yet walk them with purpose by walking with Him.

This call sets up a year of holy habits—Scripture, prayer, worship, and impact—that are more than maintenance routines. Comfort is the great saboteur of spiritual growth; people remain stuck because stuck is familiar. Growth requires the holy discomfort of surrender—trading a maintenance mindset (“What’s the least I can do?”) for a growth mindset (“Lord, speak and I’ll do it”). One cannot grow deeper spiritually while insisting on staying personally comfortable.

1 Kings 19 offers a living picture. Elijah, fresh from discouragement, still hears God and places his mantle on Elisha—found not on a platform but behind a plow. God finds the faithful who work the field they’ve been given. Stop waiting to be noticed; plow the field—your family, workplace, church, and city—entrusted to you. And stop negotiating the call as if it were a contract. The next step is the best step. Elisha breaks his plow and cooks his oxen, turning tools of the old season into provision for others. Burn the exit strategies; let your story feed someone else’s faith.

Three responses mark a different year: destroy what was (don’t curate reminders of what keeps you bound), help others (steward your testimony so others avoid needless pain), and walk away from average. Average Christianity attends sporadically, opens Scripture rarely, serves sparingly, and gives minimally. There is more. Commit to practices that place you where God loves to meet you—daily Scripture, real prayer, confessing community, humble service, and costly generosity. It doesn’t start with a streak or a gym membership; it starts with Jesus. Place your life in His hands and let Him make you unrecognizable by year’s end.

Key Takeaways

1. Seek first to set direction This year’s trajectory is determined by early priorities, not late-course corrections. Seeking the kingdom first is not a bargain for “added things,” but a reorientation of desire and allegiance. When attention and affection are centered on Jesus, anxiety loosens its grip and lesser pursuits assume their proper size. Begin by giving God your first attention, not your leftover margins. [20:48]
2. Full life is found in Jesus Rhythms without relationship breed burnout; disciplines become empty when they orbit the self. Jesus offers a life that is full because He Himself is the fullness, not merely a means to it. Let disciplines serve intimacy, not replace it; make every practice a doorway into communion, not a checkbox of control. Fullness is received, then practiced—not manufactured. [36:24]
3. Choose growth over maintenance A maintenance mindset asks for the minimum to keep faith “running”; a growth mindset asks, “Lord, what would You have me do?” Growth demands obedience beyond preference, especially when comfort resists. You will not grow deeper spiritually while insisting on staying comfortable personally—so plan to be uncomfortable on purpose. [45:34]
4. God finds the faithful who plow Elisha was called while plowing, not performing. God entrusts more to those who steward well what they already hold, not to those who chase platforms. Plow the field you have—family, work, church, city—and let God handle the platform. You can’t lead people you need; faithfulness frees you to serve them. [53:06]
5. Burn the plows and feed others Elisha dismantled his past means of livelihood and turned it into a feast; he removed the option to return while nourishing a community. Some tools of your old season must become testimonies in the new one—fuel for others, not fetters for you. Stop negotiating the call; obey the next clear step and let your story strengthen someone else’s walk. [57:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[18:50] - Prayer and New Year focus
[20:12] - Seek first the Kingdom
[22:50] - Open altar and corporate prayer
[32:52] - Turn to 1 Kings 19
[34:53] - Full life in Jesus, not self-improvement
[39:01] - Letting go; comfort kills growth
[44:33] - Maintenance mindset vs growth mindset
[49:00] - Elijah’s cave to calling
[53:06] - God finds faithful plowers
[55:48] - Stop negotiating the call
[57:38] - Burn the plows; feed others
[59:16] - Three practices for 2026
[62:19] - Walk away from average Christianity
[67:56] - It starts with Jesus: salvation and commitment

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- 1 Kings 19:19–21

So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

Observation questions

In 1 Kings 19:19, what exactly is Elisha doing when Elijah finds him, and what does Elijah place on him? How does the setting of the field (not a platform) shape the moment? ([53:06])
According to 1 Kings 19:20, how does Elisha initially respond to the mantle? What does he ask to do before following?
What two dramatic actions does Elisha take with his oxen and his plow in 1 Kings 19:21? What do these actions make possible for the people around him?
The message said, “You will not grow deeper spiritually while staying comfortable personally.” What were some specific examples given of a maintenance mindset vs. a growth mindset? ([46:58])

Interpretation questions

What might it tell us about God’s heart that He calls Elisha “behind a plow” rather than on a platform? How does this speak into the tension between faithfulness and visibility? ([53:06])
Why would Elisha burn his plow and cook his oxen instead of keeping them “just in case”? What does turning tools from an old season into food for others teach about testimony and surrender? ([57:38])
“Seek first the kingdom of God” was given to anxious, worried people. How does seeking first reorient desire and shrink lesser pursuits in real life? ([20:12])
If “full life” is received in Jesus rather than achieved by self-improvement, how should that shape the way spiritual disciplines are practiced—doorways into communion or checkboxes for control? ([36:24])

Application questions

Plow the field you have. Where are you “behind a plow” right now—family, workplace, church, city? What one faithful action can you take this week to steward that field well? ([53:59])
Burn the exit strategies. What “plow” from a past season do you need to dismantle so you can’t run back? And how could you use that story to “feed” someone else’s faith this month? ([57:38])
Seek first, first. What simple practice will help you give God your first attention each day—Scripture before screens, a set prayer time, worship on your commute? Be specific about time and place. ([22:09])
Stop negotiating the call. Where have you been saying, “When I have more time/money/energy, then I’ll obey”? What is your clear “next step” you will take within 7 days? (“The best step is the next step.”) ([57:15])
Choose growth over maintenance. Where are you stuck because comfort is familiar? Name one on-purpose discomfort you’ll embrace (confession, serving outside your preference, generosity that costs, early alarm to pray). ([46:58])
Walk away from average. Which “average Christianity” stat hits closest to home for you (attendance, Bible, prayer, serving, giving)? What concrete change will you make for the next 4 weeks to move beyond average? ([01:03:11])

Sermon Clips

He found the successor of the ministry not with a microphone in his hand, not on a stage, not creating followers as an influencer on social media, not trying to get his opinions of political parties across to everybody in the world. He was plowing the field that God had put him in, and God found him right in the place. And I just wanna remind somebody in the room today that God finds the faithful. God finds the faithful. [00:53:23] (24 seconds) #GodFindsTheFaithful

You will not. I don't wanna say can't, but you will not grow deeper spiritually while staying comfortable personally. Comfort is the greatest enemy to growth. Comfort is the greatest enemy to growth. Because while I'm focusing on staying comfortable, I'll walk away from things that'll make me better. I like to say it like this a lot of times. I will sacrifice great on the altar of good. [00:47:09] (27 seconds) #ComfortKillsGrowth

I'm a do what it takes to get to that next level with Jesus and and walk into all that he has. Can I tell you what'll happen? You'll get to the end of this year, and I promise you, you'll be unrecognizable. You'll look back on on 12/31/2026, and you'll look back on today, and you'll go, I don't even know who that person was. Mentally, spiritually, emotionally, I don't know who they were. Why? Because I've committed to a full life with Jesus, and it's changed everything. Everything. [01:06:54] (30 seconds) #TransformedInJesus2026

Comfort will kill growth. Some of us are so comfortable in our mess that I'd rather stay stuck than try to get try to move forward. I've I've talked about before. Y'all this isn't new for many of you a part of RadiATE. The reality is is is we get stuck where we are. Many followers never grow because it's easier to just stay. Come on. And so if we wanna grow in 2026, we gotta learn this idea of growth. We gotta learn this idea of letting some things go because what I'm not willing to let go of will eventually become an idol. [00:39:30] (35 seconds) #LetGoToGrow

Just go, hey, God. What do you want from me? I've got it. Let's go. God, where where do you want me to go? How do I do this? What does this look like? Because growing spiritually requires change personally. Every single time it requires change personally. And if I'm gonna walk with all God has for me this year, I want to be able to walk it out with intention, with discipline, and with faithfulness. [00:48:16] (24 seconds) #IntentionalSpiritualGrowth

I gotta change me. What does it look like if I want and I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you. If you want everything God has for you this year, you're gonna have to work on you, not everybody else. I'm gonna have to work on me, not everybody else. I'm gonna have to create these holy habits in my life that draw me closer to Jesus because the closer I get to Jesus, the more I live a full life with Jesus. And I cannot live a full life with Jesus by making you better. [00:42:54] (26 seconds) #WorkOnYouNotOthers

The average Christian reads the bible less than once a week. Here's what that means. Watch this. If we connect the statistics, if the average Christian goes to church one to two times a month and the average Christian reads the bible less than once a week, here's what that means. They're taking their bible to church and that's when they open it. Think about it y'all. Many and I'm not here beating you up over it. I'm just telling you, that's average Christianity. [01:03:47] (28 seconds) #BreakAverageChristianity

what if we said no. There's more. There's more for me. There's more for you. There's more for the community. There's more for life. There's more for the kingdom. There's more in this. I wanna chase Jesus with all that I have this year, and I'm gonna do what it takes to get there and walk in a full life with Jesus this year. No more average. [01:05:45] (25 seconds) #ChaseJesusAllIn

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Seek First the Kingdom: Pursue a Full Life with Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: Seek first the kingdom at the year’s start

Day 2: Full life is found in Jesus alone

Day 3: Burn the plows and leave average behind

Day 4: Move from maintenance to growth mindset

Day 5: Plow your field; God finds the faithful

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Seek First the Kingdom: Pursue a Full Life with Jesus

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