A much quoted verse from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."
Messages have been preached from this single verse. Programs have been designed around this verse. Vision has been cast for churches from Matthew 6:33. All of them have seen success.
But there is more to the story. To take this single verse apart from the whole context leaves you somewhat incomplete. Peanut butter cookies would not be peanut butter cookies if you left the peanut butter out when you mixed the ingredients.
Yes this verse can be used to summarize the thought of the greater context, but don't dismiss the whole text because of how famous and quoted this verse is.
Matthew 6:24-34 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Not worrying is really what this passage of Scripture is really all about. The first clue that you're not trusting God in a situation is worry. Does He not hold the world in His hand? Did He not measure the waters of the earth in the palm of His hand? Is your name not written in the palm of His hand? Then why are you are worrying?
Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God?
He is not surprised by the unseasonably warm winter we are having! Your marital situation hasn't caught Him off guard. He is not fretting about the economy. He is Alpha (the beginning) and Omega (the end) and He is everything in between!
He is EL-Shaddai: The God of More Than Enough!
He is Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord my Provider!
He is Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord my Peace! He is the Prince of Peace! And His peace surpasses all understanding!
He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind! (Numbers 23:19)
So, don't be anxious. You can't serve two masters anyway. Stop serving fear. Instead, starve your fears by feeding your faith! Your Father knows all your needs and if you'll seek first His kingdom and righteousness, then all these things you're worrying about will work themselves out!
