But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
Matthew 6:33 (CSB)
For eight verses Jesus has been saying “don’t worry.” Today He says what to do instead.
“Seek first the kingdom of God.” God’s kingdom means God ruling. It means letting Him be King over our lives, our money, our plans, right now. “And his righteousness” means living the right way, the way He says to live. Jesus says go after those two things first. And not just once. Keep going after them.
Then comes the promise. “All these things will be provided for you.” That means the food, the drink, and the clothes we were worrying about. God provides them. Jesus doesn’t say try harder not to worry. He says go after God’s kingdom first, and let God take care of the rest.
So what does seeking first look like? It’s a question of the heart. It’s not that some choices are spiritual and others aren’t. We can take a job, make a move, or spend money, and do it to serve God or to serve ourselves. One family moves for a bigger house. Another moves because God is sending them. Same move, different heart. So the real question is what our heart is after: God, or ourselves. We set our heart on Him first. And we keep doing it, because Jesus says to keep seeking.
And we don’t earn the kingdom by seeking it. Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 CSB). We’re going after something God is glad to give us. Jesus brought that kingdom, and He lived this verse Himself. He said His food was to do His Father’s will (John 4:34). He put God first all the way to the cross, and He did it for us.