For too long, wealth has distracted people from following God’s will for their lives. Instead of pursuing God, they have pursued money. As a result, many Christians have labeled money as ‘evil’ and renounced wealth building altogether.
This is not God’s will for your finances. God does not want you to chase wealth, nor does He want you to pursue a life of poverty. Rather, God’s will is for us to pursue the Kingdom of Heaven above all else. Matthew 6:33 says,
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
This verse provides divine direction into how we should order our priorities in every area, including our finances.
In this blog, we will discuss how to apply Matthew 6:33 to your financial journey. You will learn how to build wealth the righteous way, not the world’s way. First, let’s define our terms: what is the definition of righteousness?
What is the Definition of Righteousness?
Righteousness is mentioned 540 times in the Bible and over two hundred times in the Old Testament alone. But, what is the definition of righteousness?
Righteousness is a pretty near synonym to justice in the Bible. The Hebrew word for righteous is tsaddiqim, and it’s defined as “to be just; lawful.” Proverbs 11:10 says that, “When the righteous (tsaddiqim) prosper, the city rejoices.” That is because when the righteous build wealth, they use it to bless the city, create just systems, and serve others.
In short, righteousness is God’s way of being and doing things. Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness means aiming to do two things:
- Become like God
- Do things like God does them
Becoming righteous is a process that lasts our whole lives. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” We never arrive, but God promises to sustain us along the journey.
As Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6) and, of course, Matthew 6:33: “ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Your money can serve a greater purpose. God has given you the ability to produce wealth so that you can partner with Him to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth!
Matthew 6:33 provides a three step process for how to bring the Kingdom of God into your finances:
1. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else
2. Live righteously
3. Trust that God will give you everything you need
Related: Disciple The Nations: How Building Wealth is a Gateway for the Gospel
1. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else
The order of operations in Matthew 6:33 is vital to understanding the meaning of the verse. Here’s why: whatever is first in your life will be the Lord of your life. Everything flows from your first priority.
It is not enough to squeeze time with God into a 15 minute slot in our days. Rather, the goal is to get to a point where we commune with God throughout the details of our day and aim to bring the Kingdom into everything we do.
Seek first the Kingdom of God: The word “seek” is written in a verb tense we don’t have a grammatical equivalent to in English. It implies an ongoing action that takes place in the present and goes into the future.
In other words, Matthew 6:33 encourages us to seek the Kingdom of God every day. God wants a vibrant, ongoing relationship with you; one where you invite him into every area of your life, including your finances!
Here are a few practical ways you can seek first the Kingdom in your finances:
- Prayerfully consider where and how much to give in offerings.
- Invite God into your investment strategy and let His peace direct your decisions.
- Dream with God. Ask Him what He is dreaming about and how you can be a part of it. Ask Him to reveal His dreams for your life.
- Surrender opportunities to make more money when they interfere with your ability to maintain Godly priorities.
- Evaluate the areas in your city where the peace, joy, goodness, and love of God’s Kingdom are missing. Consider how you can use your financial resources to bring the Kingdom to your sphere of influence.
2. Live righteously
As you seek the Kingdom in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will teach you how to live righteously. Theologian Tim Keller wrote that righteous people are “willing to disadvantage themselves for the community while the wicked are those who put their own economic, social, and personal needs ahead of the needs of the community.”
Jesus’ life mirrored this kind of righteousness. If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we have to remember that follow is a verb. Our commitment to the Christian faith requires actions that mirror those of Jesus—one who dedicated his life to “proclaim liberty to the captives,” “recover the sight of the blind,” “set at liberty those who are oppressed,” and “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
James 1:27 echoes this thought by noting that “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
When comes to building wealth, living righteously entails using your finances to serve others needs.
3. Trust that God will give you everything you need
To get the full measure of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, we must look at the verse in context. Jesus spoke this verse immediately after telling the people “you cannot serve God and money” and “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.”
Jesus’ chief message is this: don’t get consumed with the details and worries of this world. Fix your eyes on heaven and focus on loving the people God has put along your path in the present moment.
Jesus invites us to be a part of His Kingdom in the middle of our daily tasks and anxieties. We have a choice to make: will we let material things distract us and dictate our decisions? Or, will we live on a different level – a heavenly level – where we pursue the Kingdom with our finances, business decisions, and investments, and trust God to take care of the rest?
