One of my favorite passages of Scripture, and one that I memorized in my earliest days with Christ, is Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (KJV). In chapter 33 of Robert J. Morgan’s book, One Hundred Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart, he has a splendid discussion of this verse. If you have not memorized it before, I pray that you will memorize it now. It has blessed me more times than I can count. Here is what Morgan has to say about it. 

After ditching their plane in the Pacific during World War II, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and his crew were adrift 24 days. Their ultimate survival was due, in large part, to a waterproof New Testament; and one of their most cherished passages was Matthew 6:31-34. “That’s the best thing I have ever heard yet,” said one of the men, listening to this passage. “Read it again, Colonel.”

Matthew 6:19-34 is our Lord’s definitive teaching about the sin of worry. Once you memorize its core verse, Matthew 6:33, you will be leaning on it again and again, too. Here is an outline of the passage as it unfolds. Study it as you work on this great verse.

1. Worry indicates a defective value system (Matt. 6:19-25). There are more important issues than food, clothing, houses, and entertainment.

2. Worry indicates a defective self-image (Matt. 6:26). We are more valuable than anything else God has made, including the birds of the air.

3. Worry indicates a defective way of thinking (Matt. 6:27). Anxiety doesn’t add one hour to our lives or one cubit to our height. It is a useless exercise and an inefficient way of thinking.

4. Worry indicates a defective trust in God (Matt. 6:28-30). Faith is the ability to maintain inner strength by trusting in the promises of God amid the problems of life. We shouldn’t fall into the “you of little faith” camp.

5. Worry indicates a defective purpose in life (Matt. 6:31-33). If we take care of things that are important to God, He will take care of things that are important to us.

6. Anxiety indicates a defective view of tomorrow (Matt. 6:34). In this verse Jesus specifically tells us to deal with today’s issues, and don’t worry about tomorrow’s.

Rosalind Goforth, veteran missionary to China, wrote an uplifting book entitled How I Know God Answers Prayer, in which she first tells of practicing this verse as a child. Easter Sunday came one year during a warm springtime, and everyone had put away their winter clothes. Rosalind had no Easter dress, and she decided she would rather stay home than wear her winter garb. Going to her room, she opened her Bible, and her eyes rested on Matthew 6:33. “It was as if God spoke the words directly to me,” she said. Why worry about your clothes? Seek first His Kingdom. She put on her old dress and fought off a feeling of humiliation as she went to church. The Easter message touched her deeply; and the next day a box arrived from a distant aunt, containing not only new dresses but many other things as well.

Morgan ends his chapter with the following quote from Charles Spurgeon:

“Seek ye first the Lord, and then He will provide for you everything that is profitable for you in this life and He will crown it with everything that is glorious in the life to come.”

Morgan’s account ends there, but not the power and import of Matthew 6:33. Indeed, every day of our lives we who live in these United States bear witness to the truth of Matthew 6:19-34. My late father-in-law, Russ Kauffman, explained it this way.

Approximately 400 years ago, a group of people left the European continent in search of gold, silver and other fortune. They landed in Latin America. And 400 years later, almost the entire region has historically over that time been characterized by a culture that has a few extremely wealthy people at the top, and the bulk of the rest of each nation living in tremendous poverty. And the entire region has been characterized by spiritual darkness even up to the present day.

Now, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. Approximately 400 years ago another group of people left the European continent; however, instead of looking for gold, silver and fortune, they simply were desirous of worshiping God in peace and safety. In other words, they weren’t seeking wealth, but were desirous of advancing the Kingdom of God and pursuing His righteousness.  That group of people landed in North America at a place called Plymouth Rock. And over 400 years later we are living in the wealthiest, healthiest, and most productive country in the history of the world. The words of Matthew 6:19-34 have been played out in the history of the colonization of the Western world and we are still reaping the benefits of those Europeans who landed in North America to this day: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things shall be added unto you.

Soli Deo Gloria!

John