The Gospel of Matthew Quotes
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Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:32-34, KJV)
Context
This verse pops up during Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. It's one heck of a speech.
Basically, the theme of the sermon is keeping your focus on God. Don't worry about all the material things around you in the world, because those things aren't as important as spiritual truths. If you keep your eyes on the prize, God will give you what you need to make it in the world.
This is actually a pretty big promise that Jesus is offering here—devote yourself to God and you won't have to worry anymore. Seems pretty nice.
Where you've heard it
You might hear someone start their to-do list with this. It's kind of like a "first things first" type of saying. Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Check. Then go grocery shopping. Check.
Additional Notable References:
- The Beach Boys song "He Came Down" name-drops Jesus and has a verse that says, "Jesus came down to save the world from sin / Sayin' 'seek ye first the kingdom within.'"
- This verse is also the Latin motto of the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador.
- "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God" is quite the hymn title.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If you're passing out advice and quoting Jesus, you're gonna come off as a little stuffy. However, this passage is so simple and down to Earth that it really counteracts some of the pomp and circumstance.