Last week we went through Matthew 6:34; today we’re back-tracking a bit to the previous verse. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you” (NASB).
This verse again highlights the redundancy of growing concerned about our daily needs. Matthew 6:31-32 prefaces, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or “What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. (NASB, emphasis added). Other translations read, “…and all these things will be added to you” (ESV, emphasis added).
Our Father Knows
We need to let this sink in for a minute. God knows what we need. He knows we need food, drink, clothing, and shelter. Ephesians 2:19 says, “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household” (NASB, emphasis added).
God is such a good, gracious, and righteous heavenly Father. Jesus says in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” Proverbs 10:3 says, “The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger.” Over and over again throughout the Scriptures we see God Almighty caring for our every need. He rescued Israel from famine using righteous Joseph, then rescued His people from slavery in Egypt; then He fed Israel and sprang up water for them as they wandered in the wilderness. God has always provided for His people.
The Command
But this verse says more than that. This verse in particular says more than simply “don’t worry—I’ve got this.” The command here tells us we are to seek. Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness. If we rewind the reference in Proverbs a bit to Proverbs 10:2 it says, “Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.” We know from Scripture and the evidence all around us that we live in a world plagued by sin. As my pastor would say, “we’re living in Genesis 3.”
In Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul David Tripp says, “The sin that grips our hearts makes everything more difficult. It morphs love into selfish list. It takes the God-ordained safety of home and makes it a place where the deepest human hurts can occur. It corrupts the workplace, robs the government of its good, and even stains the church. And at the end of the day, it results in death. You cannot escape sin because it dwells within you” (emphasis added). We aren’t born again and suddenly freed entirely from the grips of sin—at least not yet. We’re born again with the Holy Spirit which equips us to do battle with our sin, daily, and have victory. But we must still do battle.
Different from the Gentiles
The previous verses highlight the common concerns of our every day life. What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Verse 32 says “the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things.” Then we see that magic word–“But.” As in, but we are not Gentiles. We need not seek these things, at least and especially not as eagerly as they do. For (or because) “your heavenly Father knows you need all these things.”
And so, Matthew encourages us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,” not in order to obtain the things we need, as though God’s given us a list of chores to complete before we can have or dinner; rather, we seek Him first because we know that everything else is already taken care of.
Sure, we may struggle sometimes. We may not know when or from where our next meal will come. But we know it will come. We may be on the brink of having our lights shut off, or they may in fact be shut off before we’re able to pay that bill. But the bill will be paid. We may have to borrow or receive donations of clothing. But we will be clothed. And these struggles will produce endurance in us, and perseverance in faith, as James says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (1:2-3, NASB).
Don’t Miss the Miracle
If we focus too much of our attention on seeking our daily needs, we run the risk of missing the miracle of God’s provision in our time of need. In the process, we lose faith as we focus on what we don’t have, rather than giving thanks to God for all He’s provided us already. Then, when we do receive, we falsely believe it to be our own doing, without the help of God. In fact, everything belongs to God. According to Deuteronomy 10:14, “to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.” Moreover, as Philippians 4:19 says, “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (NASB).
All Things Belong to God
Jesus says again in John, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing,” and He continues, “if anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (15:5-6, NASB).
This verse, of course, refers to separating believers from unbelievers at the final judgement; the fire is Hell. Which brings us back, again, to the importance of seeking God first, before anything else. Matthew says not only to seek God, His kingdom and righteousness, but to seek Him first. Before we eat breakfast. Before we brush our teeth; before we go to work and before we go to sleep; before that big meeting at lunch and before selecting a school for our children. Listen, before anything else, seek God. Only then can we be sure that we are remaining in Christ. Only then can we be sure that we are “fully capable, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
Application – What does is look like to seek God first?
This may seem one of the simplest commands given to us in the Bible. But as we all know, simple does not always mean easy. There are 3 simple steps to take to be sure you’re seeking His kingdom effectively and regularly:
1. Read Your Bible
Set aside time every day to take in the Word of God. Study His Word. Meditate on it. Be a student of Scripture. As Christians, we can never know it all. Of course, there are some things which God keeps hidden, and still other things which we simply can’t understand in our human capacity. So we can always learn more. We can read the same text a dozen times, but just when we need it, or when we’re ready for it, something new leaps off the page. Sometimes my pastor says, “I know that wasn’t there the last time I read it.” 2 Timothy ensures us that ALL Scripture is “inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness,” so that we as believers may be “fully capable, equipped for every good work” (3:16-17).
2. Pray
The women of our church recently finished reading It Happens After Prayer in our summer book club. Let me tell you, it was amazing. Prayer is such a vital part of our walk with God, and the truth is that many of us either don’t know much about it, or we simply neglect it. As Christians, we must pray about everything. Pray for everything, and everyone. The Bible says, “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). It isn’t about asking God for the things we want or need, though this can be a part of it. Prayer is about spending quality time with God, maintaining an open line of communication, and praising and worshiping Him continually. Prayer makes all the difference.
3. Stay Plugged In
Fellowship with other Christians, whether in a church setting, a Bible study group, meeting a friend at a coffee shop, even online platforms like this, helps us to strengthen our connection with God and with His body. God’s church isn’t relegated to a building, it’s about the body of believers all over the world. Scripture calls us to love one another, and to serve one another, and we can’t do that if we aren’t continually surrounding ourselves with a body of believers. Not only that, but we leave ourselves open to turning away from God, to temptation and sin, if we aren’t establishing genuine relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need the church, our collective body, to hold us up, and hold us accountable, to encourage and equip us.
If you missed last week’s verse, read Do Not Worry About Tomorrow Bible Verse Matthew 6:34
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Emily is a Christian mother and blogger who lives in sunny Florida with her three children. She works full-time setting appointments at a home remodeling company and in her scarce free time she enjoys serving her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ however possible, and spending as much time in prayer, Bible reading and studying, and fellowship as possible. As a recovering addict, she has a heart for addiction ministry, and for creating things so she can give back to those who have need.