SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM , Sarah Barry
SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM
Passage: Matthew 6:19~34  
Key verse: 33
Treasures in Heaven(A)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,(B) where moths and vermin destroy,(C) and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,(D) where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.(E) 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(F)
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.(G)
Do Not Worry(H)
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry(I) 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.(J) Are you not much more valuable than they?(K) 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[c]?(L)
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 splendor(M) was 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?(N) 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.(O) 33 But seek first his kingdom(P) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.(Q) 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Footnotes
- Matthew 6:22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
- Matthew 6:23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
- Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to your height
Cross references
- Matthew 6:19 : 6:22, 23pp — Lk 11:34-36
- Matthew 6:19 : Pr 23:4; Lk 12:16-21; Heb 13:5
- Matthew 6:19 : S Jas 5:2, 3
- Matthew 6:20 : Mt 19:21; Lk 12:33; 16:9; 18:22; 1Ti 6:19
- Matthew 6:20 : Lk 12:33
- Matthew 6:21 : Lk 12:34
- Matthew 6:24 : Lk 16:13
- Matthew 6:25 : 6:25-33pp — Lk 12:22-31
- Matthew 6:25 : ver 27, 28, 31, 34; Lk 10:41; 12:11, 22
- Matthew 6:26 : Job 38:41; Ps 104:21; 136:25; 145:15; 147:9
- Matthew 6:26 : Mt 10:29-31
- Matthew 6:27 : Ps 39:5
- Matthew 6:29 : 1Ki 10:4-7
- Matthew 6:30 : Mt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Lk 12:28
- Matthew 6:32 : ver 8
- Matthew 6:33 : S Mt 3:2
- Matthew 6:33 : Ps 37:4; Mt 19:29
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
Treasures on earth are temporary and costly. These days, our precious belongings become outdated after a year or two. Newer and better treasures make us always want more, even though we can't afford them. Earthly treasures never fully satisfy. But there is a great treasure that never gets old or loses value. It is also something that money cannot buy, yet it is freely given to us.
2. Look at the birds and flowers (22-23, 25-34)
These days, we are bombarded by advertisements and opinions that tell us how we should live and what we should look like. It makes us worry and feel insecure. Jesus reminds us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. The love of our father God, who gave us life and created the heavens and the earth, is our source of joy and righteousness. We must live today secure in his grace, regardless of the uncertainty of tomorrow's events. When we seek first his kingdom and righteousness, we find that his grace is sufficient and boundless for all our needs.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see that I am enough, as I am, in your grace. Nothing in this world can satisfy as you do.
One Word: Seek heavenly treasure