“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” —Matthew 6:33
What "things?"
“do not be worried about your life”
“Do not worry then, saying,What will we eat?' orWhat will we drink?' or `What will we wear for clothing?”
—Matthew 6:25,31
He'll take care of everything!
"His righteousness"
"For in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” —Romans 1:17
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” —Romans 3:21-22
His righteousness is not something we earn or deserve. It is a gift.
His kingdom
“Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” —Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” —Matthew 6:10
Where Jesus is, the Kingdom of Heaven is!
"Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.” —Matthew 6:9-10
But seek first
Jesus is talking about a habitual pattern. We seek in order to find. We are designed to desire the Kingdom of God. He is instructing us that this seeking should be first in priority.
Jesus urges us to keep the reality of the Kingdom of God and the righteousness that we inherit through Him in the forefront of our minds. This habit helps keep our daily focus on the things that align with God’s perfect will – for us and the world.
This passage of scripture has long been my favorite, go-to verse. My admittedly over-simplified interpretation of “Seek First…” is Only Jesus, all the time. I have found that to the extent that I keep my mind centered in on Jesus and His Kingdom, things tend to line up in my life.
I’m not talking about getting everything I want. No! That is not what this verse is about.
As I continue to retrain my mind to maintain focus on my Savior, the path before me becomes clearer. Choices come into sharper focus. And He cares for all my needs. After all, based on this verse, my needs are all satisfied when I walk in communion with God.
In my experience, all Satan needs to do to trip me up is turn my focus to anything other than only Jesus all the time.
Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?” —Matthew 14:28-31
As long as Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, he was able to accomplish the miraculous. But as soon as he turned his attention to the wind, he began to sink.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”