The Solution to Worry | Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 has always been my favorite verse in the Bible.  It contains the answer to anxiety and the pathway to provision.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

The Bible tells us not to worry (Mt 6:25; Phil 4:6).  Matthew 6:33 gives us the solution.  The big idea is this:

If you prioritize spiritual things, then God will make sure you don't have to worry about material things.

The verse can be divided into two parts: the command, and the consequence.

The Command: "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."

Let's start with the word "But."  It means "rather than," or "instead of," or "in contrast to."  We are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness instead of doing something else.  What?  Worry.  That's the topic of Jesus' teaching in this passage (Mt 6:25-34).  Instead of worry, we must seek first the things of God.  But this is not just something we are supposed to do instead of worrying.  It is the solution to worry.  How do you stop worrying?  By focusing on something else -- specifically the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  This diverts your attention from the things of this world to the things of God.

The command is to "seek" the kingdom and His righteousness.  The Greek word "seek" (zeteo) means to try to gain, to strive after, with the idea of earnestness and anxiety.  This is not a casual seeking; a laid-back seeking; a half-hearted seeking; a lazy seeking.  This is an earnest, intense, fervent, zealous seeking.

"Seek" is in the present imperative tense.  Imperative = command; present = continuous, habitual.  This is a daily seeking; a constant seeking; a persistent seeking.  Keep on seeking.  When you put all this together, the word "seek" means "a passionate obsession."  The solution to worry is to make the kingdom and His righteousness your passionate obsession.  

The word "first" (Gk. protos) is not talking about first in time, but first in importance.  The command is not to seek the things of God first thing in the morning before you do anything else, although that is a good idea.  The command is to make seeking the things of God your top priority; your primary, and greatest, and central concern.  The solution to worry is to put the things of God above and before everything else -- fame, fortune, comfort, security, career, education, family, hobbies, etc.

What does it look like to make the kingdom and His righteousness your top priority?  It usually looks like this:

1. Give God the first hour of your day (daily quiet time).
2. Give God the first day of your week (Sunday worship).
3. Give God the first ten percent of your finances (tithing).

I've never met anyone who prioritized God and who wasn't doing these three things.

Specifically, we are to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God?  The kingdom of God can be explained with three words:

1. Promise.  The kingdom of God was promised in the Old Testament when God promised to send a king from the line of David who would redeem Israel from its enemies and who would establish an eternal kingdom (Ps 89:4; Is 9:6-7; Dan 2:44).  
2. Inauguration.  The kingdom of God was inaugurated (started, introduced) by Jesus when He started His ministry (Mk 1:15).  Jesus was clear that His kingdom was spiritual, not political.  He came to deliver Israel from sin, not from Rome.  His kingdom is invisible, not territorial.  It exists in the hearts of people who accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and it advances as more people turn to Christ.
3. Consummation.  Even though the kingdom presently exists as Christ reigns in the hearts of His followers, it is not yet completed, as there exists many things in the world that are outside His will.  But one day King Jesus will return to earth in the flesh to destroy all evil and its effects and create a new heavens and earth where He will reign for all eternity.  The kingdom, therefore, is already, but not yet.  It is already here, but not yet completed.  Already inaugurated, but not yet consummated.  

With that in mind, to seek the kingdom of God means to seek (1) the realm of the king (enter into a right relationship with Jesus; (2) the rule of the king (bring your life into complete submission to Jesus); and (3) the resolve of the king (seek to bring others into the realm and under the rule of Jesus).

The command is also to seek "His righteousness."  The Bible uses the word "righteousness" in two ways: judicial righteousness and ethical righteousness.  Judicial righteousness means a right relationship with God.  Before salvation we are guilty sinners who deserve hell.  How then can we have a right relationship with God?  Through faith (Rm 5:1).  When we trust in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, we are justified.  Justification means that when God saves us, He declares us legally righteous in His sight.  It means that when you die, God will let you into heaven rather than send you to hell.

How can a just God declare the guilty righteous?  Because Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross (Rm 5:9).  When we trust in Christ, God counts our sins against Christ on the cross, and He counts Christ's righteousness as belonging to us.

Ethical righteousness means right living before God.  Now that we are saved, we are called to imitate God's character and obey God's commands.  

So to seek "His righteousness" is to seek a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ (judicial righteousness), and to seek right living before God by imitating His character and obeying His word (ethical righteousness).  

So, the solution to worry begins with a command: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  The next part of the verse contains the consequences, or the results of living this way.

The Consequence: "And all these things will be provided for you."

This is a promise.  When you seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, then all these things will be provided for you.  What are "all these things"?  These are the things we tend to worry about.  "All these things" include all your needs -- physical needs, financial needs, relational needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, family needs, health needs, etc.

If you fulfill the first part of the verse (the command), the consequence will be that God will take care of you.  He will meet your needs.  If you prioritize spiritual things, then God will make sure you don't have to worry about material things.

The Bible's solution to worry is to set your mind on and seek the things above (Col 3:1-2) -- the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  This will redirect your mind and emotions and energy on something positive and productive, and ensure that God will supply all your needs (Phil 4:19).