Seek First the Kingdom of God
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.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Key Verse 33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Look at verse 25. If life is more than food and the body more than clothes, then what is our life about? (33) Why do you think Jesus needs to teach what the focus of our lives should be? What would a life look like that sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?
If we are seeking God's kingdom first, why do we not need to be anxious about our lives? (32b) How does Jesus prove this point? (26 & 28-30) If we obey the command to not be anxious about our lives, how might this change our thoughts and everyday life?
What does Jesus teach about anxiety and worry? (27) Why do you think Jesus needed to teach this, why might we think that worrying and being anxious are natural? How can we change how we think?
What does Jesus teach about trouble and how we should deal with the future?(34) Why might living this way require faith?
How do you think you can apply today's passage to your life? Do you feel you can obey the commands to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”, and “do not be anxious about tomorrow”?