TEXT: MATTHEW 6: 31-34 – “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
We are continuing to look at the topic of the Kingdom and Trusting. Trusting is the opposite of Worrying. Let’s see what Jesus has to say about this. He started with some information for us in verse 25. We are told not to worry about food or clothes, for life consists of more than these.
Jesus makes a bold statement in saying do not worry about your life. He gave us two illustrations, then He extends this invitation to those who will hear and obey.
Consider the birds. Consider the lilies. Great illustrations to draw our attention to the vital truth He is presenting.
Another thing that worry does is put us in the same category as those who don’t know God because in verse 32 it reads that the pagans run after all these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. The pagan or the person who doesn’t know God lives in a way in which he relies on himself.
When we start fretting and worrying about what are we going to eat, what are we going to wear, how are we going to make it, I need this, I need that, we sound like the person who relies on himself instead of God.
Worry is, and always will be, a fatal disease of the heart – for
its beginning signals the end of faith.
Worry intrudes on God’s compassionate ability to provide.
When we allow our problems to overshadow God’s promises, we unknowingly doom ourselves to a defeat that was never part of God’s eternal plans. If you know Jesus Christ today you are to look and live differently than one who doesn’t know God.
Christians and non-Christians get the same challenges, trials, and illnesses because I believe that God wants to show the world that a Christian lives and responds differently to the worries and challenges of this life. The believer responds by resting and relying on God to provide no matter the circumstances.
How do we get relief? Not R-O-L-A-I-D-S! Reread verse 33 (emphasized above). The word “seek” (zeteo) means to seek; to go after; to strive; to pursue; to desire; to aim at; to search for; to endeavor to get. The believer’s life is not to be preoccupied with material things, as necessary as some things are. The believer is first of all to be seeking after the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
We are to look to God first and all our needs will be provided for. The reason we have so many worries is that we’re seeking everything but God first. We are too concerned about what does the bank account say, what does the doctor say, what does the horoscope say, what does the boss say.
We need to be concerned about what God wants us to do and be and then, and only then, can we have the right perspective on our lives.
This means time for prayer and reading the Word.
- We will put God first in every week, attending the house of God faithfully.
- It means sincerely desiring to grow in the Lord
- We will put God first every payday, paying the tithe to the Lord.
- We will put God first in our choices, making no decision that would leave God out.
Verse 34 tells us that we don’t have to worry about tomorrow as tomorrow will get here when it gets here – but there are enough trials and troubles we will have to face today. By God’s grace, we need to deal with what is before us today.
Note that it doesn’t say for us to worry about today either, but God is saying why look ahead and worry about things that haven’t yet happened and that you can’t even control because you don’t know if you will make it through this day.
Who of you by worrying can change any situation in your life? It will not change the outcome, but it will change you!
Tomorrow, we will consider some concluding thoughts from this passage.
Put your cares into His hands – He can and will take care of them.
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