Dr. Mike Jones

Q: I hear noted Bible teachers quote Matthews 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Will you explain what it means in layman’s terms?

A: The text that you are quoting, is taken from Jesus’ ‘Sermon On The Mount’ dissertation. At that juncture of His teaching, He was introducing His disciples to a new realm of thinking.

He taught them not to get caught up in the everyday cares of this world, but to seek God and His wisdom, and our daily cares will take care of themselves through God. We are to take no thought for our lives, because our lives are hid in God through Christ. We are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

The natural man is unaware that anxiety about food and clothing is considered sin in God’s sight. He said in His word, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” There is nothing wrong with planning for the future; the Bible does not condemn us for doing so, but encourages it. We get in trouble with God when our planning takes on anxieties, such as, will I have enough for that obligation when it comes due? What is going to happen if the company goes out of business, etc.?

God wants to be our ace and not have us doubt His ability to meet whatever need arises. Jesus mentioned the fowls of the air as an example of God’s care for something that is not made in His image. The birds do not meet any biblical demands of a just and holy God, but look at the care God gives them. We are not even to take thought about what we are to wear. Jesus mentioned how the lilies of the field yield more obedience to God than man. Solomon wore the best clothing available to him as king, but yet the lilies were clothed better than Solomon by God.

God (our heavenly Father) wants to meet our every need; but like James 4:2-3 states, “Ye have not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lust.” God is not against us having “things.” He does not want “things” to have control over us. There are many scriptures in the New Testament that make reference to people being influenced by money. Jesus scorned His disciples for distrusting God for raiment. The Bible encourages us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things the Gentiles seek after will be added to us. We are to take no thought for tomorrow (future); we are to cope with tomorrow when it comes.

Unless we stay attuned to the things of God, it is very easy to get anxious about things going on around us. Apostle Paul warns us in Philippians 4:2, “That we are to become anxious for nothing, but in everything, with prayer and supplication, we are to make our requests known to God.” Every situation we are confronted with helps us to depend more on God.

I hope this shines a little more light on this important subject.