Young Adults / College · aligned to Non-denominational
Seek First the Kingdom: Setting Priorities for the Year Ahead
When we put God's kingdom first, our anxious scramble to secure life, success, and the future gets re-centered on a Father who already knows what we need and can be trusted with the rest.
How this lesson was made
DiviNav AI drafted this lesson (Young Adults / College, aligned to the Non-denominational statement of faith), then an automatic review checked it for Scripture accuracy, theology, sensitive content, and originality. No pastor has read it line by line, so treat it as a starting point: read it all the way through and adapt it to your group before you teach.
Lesson plan
Gather the group and name the season honestly: for college and young adults, the turn of a semester or year stirs up real questions — What am I doing with my life? Will I find work I love, people who stay, enough money to breathe? Say plainly: tonight isn't about pretending we have it figured out. It's about one question Jesus puts in front of anxious people — what are we actually seeking first? Read the big idea aloud and let the group know there will be space to push back and ask hard things, not just nod along.
Have one or two people read Matthew 6:25-34 (BSB) slowly. Then open with the warmup questions below to surface how worry actually shows up in their week — not in theory, but in the 2am scroll, the group chat, the unopened email. Keep this fast and honest; you're gathering raw material, not resolving anything yet. Jot a few recurring worries on a whiteboard to return to during the teaching.
Walk through the passage in three movements. (1) Jesus names worry directly (v25-27): he's not shaming anxiety, he's addressing people whose survival felt uncertain — so this isn't a lecture from someone who never struggled. Be honest that 'don't worry' can sound dismissive if someone is clinically anxious or facing real crisis; clarify Jesus is confronting the lie that worry is in control ('who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?'), not forbidding us from feeling or from seeking help. (2) Jesus reframes who God is (v26-32): the birds and lilies aren't a promise that nothing bad happens — they're an argument from lesser to greater about a Father who knows what you need. (3) Jesus reorders our wanting (v33): 'seek first the kingdom' is not 'do more religious stuff' but a re-prioritization of the whole heart (tie back to v21, treasure and heart). Land the plane on vocation, money, relationships, and the future: the goal isn't to stop caring about these, but to stop making them the thing you seek first — because they make terrible gods and a good gift. Invite skepticism openly: what about people who sought the kingdom and still lost the job, the relationship, the health? Acknowledge this passage doesn't promise a pain-free life; it promises a Father in the middle of it.
Move the group into the 'dig' questions below. Push past first answers. If the room goes quiet on the hard questions, sit in the silence a few seconds rather than rescuing it. Your job is to help them wrestle the text honestly, not to defend God — the text can hold their questions.
Hand each person an index card and pen. Step 1 (4 min): privately write the top 5 things you are actually 'seeking first' this year — be brutally honest (a GPA, a relationship, financial stability, approval, a career path, etc.). Step 2 (3 min): next to each, write what you're afraid happens if you DON'T get it. Step 3 (3 min): now write Matthew 6:33 across the top and ask — if seeking God's kingdom first were genuinely at the center, what is ONE concrete thing that would change this week (how I spend money, time, attention, or worry)? Step 4 (5 min): in pairs or threes, share just one thing you're willing to say out loud and one next step. Leader: name that no one has to share anything they're not ready to, and that if someone's card surfaces something heavy, you're available after. Collect nothing — the cards go home with them.
Read Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB) over the group as a benediction. Invite anyone who wants prayer for a specific worry to name it or raise a hand. Close by praying the group into the year ahead — not for a life without trouble, but for hearts that seek first a Father who can be trusted. Remind them of the one next step from their card.
Discussion questions
- warmupWhere does worry actually show up in your week — what time of day, what triggers it, what does it sound like in your head?
- warmupJesus says 'is not life more than food?' What are the 'foods' — the things we assume ARE life — that our generation chases hardest?
- digBe honest: does 'do not worry' feel freeing or dismissive when you're in the middle of a real fear? Why?
- digWhat about people who sought God sincerely and still lost the job, the relationship, or their health? What is this passage actually promising, and what is it not promising?
- digJesus connects worry to what we 'seek first.' What does your calendar and bank statement suggest you're currently seeking first — regardless of what you'd say out loud?
- applyWhat's the difference between caring about your future (vocation, money, relationships) and being ruled by it? How can you tell which side you're on?
- applyIf seeking God's kingdom first were truly central this year, what is one habit, decision, or worry you'd handle differently starting this week?
Scripture
Matthew 6:25 (BSB) — Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Matthew 6:26 (BSB) — Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:27 (BSB) — Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Matthew 6:31-32 (BSB) — Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Matthew 6:33 (BSB) — But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Matthew 6:34 (BSB) — Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:21 (BSB) — For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Philippians 4:6-7 (BSB) — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Leader notes
Prep checklist
- Read Matthew 6:25-34 in BSB a few times earlier in the day so you can teach from an overflow, not notes.
- Pre-write the big idea and Matthew 6:33 on the whiteboard before people arrive.
- Line up one or two confident readers for the Scripture reading.
- Think through your OWN honest answer to the hard questions (unanswered prayer, 'don't worry' feeling dismissive) so you can model honesty instead of deflecting.
- Running short on time? Compress 'Dig Deeper Discussion' to 8 minutes and drop the warmup question about 'foods,' OR trim the Priorities Audit sharing step (Step 4) to 3 minutes — do NOT cut the teaching or the activity's personal-writing steps.
- SAFETY: This session names worry, anxiety, and the pressure of life transitions, which can surface acute distress. If anyone discloses suicidal thoughts, self-harm, abuse, or acute mental-health crisis, do not try to counsel it alone: point them to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988, available 24/7) and, for immediate danger, call 911. Encourage professional help (campus counseling, a doctor, a licensed counselor). Be clear with the group that prayer and faith are not a substitute for emergency or professional care — they work alongside it. Know in advance where to refer students on your campus.
Materials
- Index cards (one per person, plus extras)
- Pens for everyone
- Whiteboard or large paper with markers
- Bibles or a BSB text printout of Matthew 6:25-34 for readers
- A printed card with 988 and local/campus crisis + counseling contacts to hand to anyone who needs it
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