What Should Christians Seek in 2021?

By David Ettinger

Looking Ahead
What a year it’s been – and it ain’t over yet! And though 2020 will soon become 2021, what began in 2020 will continue, no doubt, on the same course.

2020 was marked by two cataclysmic events: The Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election which appears Joe Biden has won, though it is not yet official. But if it becomes official, two things will be certain in 2021: Covid-19 will still be with us, and we will have a new President.

In light of this, what should Christians focus on in the coming year? Should we scour the web for conspiracy theories regarding the pandemic and waste hours waging social-media wars? Should we obsess over voter fraud – alleged and real?

Should this be what we seek in 2021? Should we seek to change the political direction of our nation, pushing for conservative values to sweep the land? Is this what our priorities should be?

How would Jesus counsel us?

The Clear Answer
Happily, our Lord and Savior makes plain what His followers should seek in 2021. Toward the latter part of “The Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus instructs us concerning worry and anxiety. Not wanting us to worry or be anxious, He tells us:

•  “… do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on” (Matthew 6:25).
•  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’” (v. 31).
•  “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (v. 33).

We shouldn’t worry because God knows the needs of our lives and will provide them for us. By extension, Jesus would also have believers not be anxious over the calamities we are facing. After all, “which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span?” (v. 27).

By contrast, there is a distinct endeavor the Lord would have us engage in, and He states it in v. 33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”

This, then, is the Number 1 objective of the believer in 2021. This is what all Christians should seek. We are to be concerned with the things of God. We are to share the Gospel with unbelievers, financially support organizations which do such, and donate to Christian charities which help feed the poor and care for the sick.

We are to look forward to the actual, physical, 1,000-year Kingdom Jesus will soon usher in (Revelation 20:1-6), and live now as the citizens of that Kingdom we will one day inhabit.

We are to demonstrate the righteousness of Christ by living as righteously as humanly possible.

We are not to seek after conspiracy theories and political disharmony, but live as Kingdom citizens in this pre-Kingdom era. We are to be children of light in an ever-darkening world.

Jesus commanded it almost 2,000 years ago, and He commands it today: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”

May God give us the grace and desire to do precisely what He commands!

David Ettinger is a writer/editor at Zion’s Hope, Inc., and has written for Zion’s Fire magazine since its inception in 1990.

Tagged: 2021, Christian Behavior, Covid-19, Current Events, Following Christ, Obeying Christ, Presidential Elections, Society, The Kingdom of Christ

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christ's Deity, Christian Behavior, Christian Ethics, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Devotional, Drawing Close to God, Editorial/Blog, New Testament, Obeying God, Politics, Practical, Serving God, Sharing the Gospel