Jesus said do not worry about our lives, what we will eat and what we will wear for our Heavenly Father knows all our needs. The keys to unlocking God’s blessings is in Matthew 6:33. The question is are we holding the right keys?
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 (Berean Study Bible)
This is a well- known verse. Many christians know about this verse. I know it for at least 30 years. Unfortunately, for all those years, I assumed that I understood the verse. I thought that to seek first His Kingdom means to evangelise. To seek His righteousness means to walk rightly. So when I share the gospel and I walk rightly, God will be pleased with me and bless me. If the blessings I desire do not happen, it is likely due to unconfessed sins in my life. This is so straight forward an understanding, much like the thoughts of anybody, even non-believers of Jesus. It’s taught by many pastors and church leaders too. Simple knowledge.
Unfortunately, it is not the complete knowledge. It may be correct. But it is not complete.
When we think of a Kingdom, we cannot but think of who the King is. Without the King, there is no Kingdom. Who is the King in God’s Kingdom? Lord Jesus! If you recall the story of Mary and Martha, Martha was busy trying to cook for Jesus, much like Christians busy with trying to go around evangelising. Jesus taught that only one thing is needed and Mary has chosen to do that — that is, to sit by the feet of Jesus and listen to what He has to say. So to seek the Kingdom of God is to seek Jesus, to rest at His feet, to enjoy His company, to listen to what He has to tell us. It is simply to rest in Him, to enjoy His presence.
Evangelisim, yes, that’s the commandment of Jesus before He left this world. So it is of great importance. However, all these works should be the fruits of our resting and enjoying Jesus’s presence in our life. Jesus said this:
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15;5 (NKJV)
So to seek the Kingdom of God is to seek Jesus, to rest at His feet, to enjoy His company, to listen to what He has to tell us. It is simply to rest in Him, to enjoy His presence.
Then, do you notice that in Matthew 6:33, we are to seek His Righteousness not our righteousness? So how is it that it has become seeking our right living and not seeking His Righteousness?
It is difficult for us human beings to understand what is seeking His Righteousness. On the surface, that sentence appear to be trying to be like Jesus, to walk sinlessly. Well, certainly God desires us to live a righteous life. However, that again, is the fruit of our seeking Jesus and walking with Him, of our focusing on Him and seeking Him.
So what then is to seek His Righteousness? It is simply to trust Jesus. Give you an example, say if you know of a high official whom everyone thinks highly of and said he is a righteous man, e.g. an honest man with integrity, a man who always fulfil his promises. Then one day, you go to this high official during the ‘minister-meets-the-people’ session and you asked him to help you get a job. You told him you have been retrenched and out of job for a long time. He promised that he will help you. Would you not go home happy that he has promised to help you? Why are you happy? Because you believe that being a high official, he has the ability to help you, and now that since he has promised, he will fulfil because he is known to be a righteous man. So, you simply believe because he is righteous.
So, now, if you truly know Jesus for who He is — He is our Maker, the creator of the universe. The universe belongs to Him. He is God. He has the ability to help us in everything. Justice and righteousness is the foundation of His throne. Most of all, He loves us so much to bring himself down to this world, to suffer and die for you and I. He loves us more than our parents love us. Friends, when you meet Jesus, knowing that He is righteous, what is your heart’s response? Shouldn’t it be like you meet the high official? Trust.
So to seek His righteousness is simply to believe Him — believe that Jesus will protect you, provide for you, watch over you and your loved ones, propel you to succeed, shower you with blessings and every good thing. Remember, the bible says that when Abraham believed, God accounted it as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
When Jesus walked on earth, when He performed all the healing, was it because that person start to walk righteously? No! It was simply they believe. Because our Lord Jesus has taken our iniquities and died on our behalf. He has paid the price. So all we need to do is to believe in Him and the miracle will take place! The price is already paid. It was an extremely hefty price, paid with the blood and flesh of Jesus. So don’t count on your walking rightly to unlock the blessings of God. Don’t count on your righteousness. But put your trust in Jesus. That is seeking His Righteousness.
To seek His Righteousness is simply to put your trust in Jesus. To receive Him as your saviour, that He has died for your sins and paid the price for you. To believe that He will protect you, provide for you and cause every good thing to happen to you simply because He loves you so much that He has given His life for you.
Let’s read Matthew 6:33 in the context:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendorwas dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.