Matthew 6:33-34 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care about itself; each day has enough trouble of its own.
The last verses of this chapter put our priorities, needs, and wants in the right perspective. Seeking our purpose and meaning for life in material things will only bring emptiness and will not satisfy our deep longings. These things do not take away worry but only add more of it to our lives. As God’s children, we should act differently than those around us because we know that God cares for us. The critical question to consider is, what is our goal? What motivates us, causes us to do things, or inspires us to act?
Jesus provides the answer for disciples in verse 33: seek first God’s kingdom. The verb seek (zēteite) is present tense, which gives the sense of keep on seeking. Make this your daily habit and way of life. First, we must seek God’s kingdom. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This line of the prayer gives an important clue of what it means to seek God’s kingdom: we must seek to do God’s will. Join with God in what he is doing in this world. God’s kingdom represents his sovereign power. We recognize his power by receiving his grace and mercy and then being instruments of these to other people. The primary place God’s kingdom breaks into worldly existence is in the human heart by bringing new life to brokenness. To seek God’s kingdom first is to let him be King or sovereign of our lives. Our purposes and goals line up with God’s purposes and goals. We seek God’s path, plan, and priorities for how to fulfill those purposes. This way of life requires that we not be distracted by the many things around us that call for attention.
Seeking God’s kingdom requires that we also seek God’s righteousness. This word has a strong moral sense to it. God sets the standard for what it means to be righteous. Jesus tells his disciples that their lifestyle must line up with God’s will and design for us, which is revealed in Jesus’ commands and teachings. God’s kingdom is characterized by righteousness. The result will be that God will take care of the needs of his children. All these things refers to the food, drink, and clothes of verse 25. Jesus calls his disciples to a life of trust.
and all these things will be added to you. 34Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care about itself; each day has enough trouble of its own.
Verse 34 returns to the theme of verse 25 and puts worry in a new perspective. Life has many problems and troubles. Almost every day brings us some kind of pain, trouble, or question. We can be ready for the challenges by looking at life from a kingdom perspective. We can realize that God is ultimately in control, and so we can put our lives into his care. Worry results when we try to make our own kingdoms. Peace results when we seek the kingdom of God and let God be in control. We can leave our worries at the feet of Jesus and let his peace fill us. Jesus lays out two alternatives: living for self, which will demands our time and energy because we are doing things to please selfish desires, or living for God by seeking God’s sovereign reign in our lives. Jesus promises that the ambitions we think are important may actually be given to us when we put God first. There is nothing wrong with desires, plans, hopes, and dreams if we make our first ambition God and sanctify them on the altar as we become living sacrifices.
For older posts, click here.