What is the most important verse in the Bible? My suggestion:
Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
The number one teaching topic of Jesus in the Gospels is the Kingdom of God. Yes, more than prayer and even stewardship (though stewardship is the second). All of Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom is summarized in Matthew 6:33.
Thus – the most important verse in the Bible.
I have a long-term relationship with this verse. I memorized it in March 1974.
For almost 50 years, before I get out of bed in the morning, I pray, “God, when I make decisions today, let me pause for a moment to ask if I am seeking first Your Kingdom.”
I asked this question before going to Bible college, before asking my wife to marry me, before building a house, and before purchasing cars. Sometimes, I went ahead with a decision even though I had hesitancy about it seeking first the Kingdom.
God didn’t throw a lightning bolt in my direction, but the action wasn’t blessed and often led to anxiety.
About 10 years after I began my routine of repeating Matthew 6:33 in the morning by praying, “God, let me seek first the Kingdom in all of my decisions,” He spoke to me and said, “There is another part of that verse.”
My response…
Okay, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. I got the Kingdom part. Now, what comes after that? “His righteousness,” of course.
Oops – I’ve been ignoring “His righteousness” for 10 years. So, I began saying…
God, allow me to make only Kingdom decisions today. And, what specific point of righteousness do you want in my life now?
About two months after my new prayer, God spoke, saying, “I want you to clean up your thought life.”
The Apostle Paul, Mother Teresa, or David Crowder would not have taken so long to discover that “His righteousness” must get specific for it to have relevance. If you ask for “righteousness,” how do you know if you get more righteous? If you ask for pure thoughts, you know when you are victorious.
Over the years, after purity came faith, then generosity, then courage for missions, then speaking kindly, and now not worrying about the next five years of my life. All these specifics became the next steps in my growth in Jesus.
One step then another step and then another step.
Righteousness has an edge – it’s God saying, “Do this or stop doing that.” You can obey or not.
The end of Matthew 6:33 promises, “…and all these things will be added.” I want “all these things.”
In the morning I now quote Matthew 6:33 and say:
God, with every decision, allow me to seek first your Kingdom.
God help me with ______ today. Give me victory in this area.