So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:31-34
Yesterday, I ran a post about finding what we look for and DWNartens left a comment about some other passages with a very similar thrust. In the interest of full disclosure, Dennis and I were both together in a meeting Tuesday night when this very subject was discussed and when I read his comment it struck me that his verses would make some good discussion to share here: Thank you Dennis!
Notice that in this chapter we began with three illustrations dealing with spiritual practices (6:2-18), after which Jesus moved into money, possessions and wealth management (6:19-27) and finished on the very practical note of placing our trust in God and putting His Kingdom first. Now comes the hard part: In “real life” what do we actually do?
I can’t answer that question for any of you in particular, but my observation of Christians in general over several decades tells me that what most of us really do is everything Jesus is telling us not to do, especially worrying about things.
We worry about what others think of us, about whether we are the most “righteous” or the most “spiritual”. We worry about money, finances, jobs, paying the bills, retirement, essentials of life… and frills and entertainment These are even the things we pray about most often, along with health concerns. Yet Jesus is telling the people that in His Kingdom, this is not how His Kingdom people should arrange their priorities.
“But Don, it’s just too hard!”
Please remember that I am also living in this world along with you; I get that this can be difficult, but as is true with most aspects of the Christian life, it is usually not as difficult as we make it, for what it really is, is counter-intuitive more than anything else.
I am a work in progress just like everyone else, and I have a long way to go before I am “just like” Jesus was; a very long way indeed. However, I have discovered that for me at least, a recognition that this is all simply counter-intuitive, rather than overly difficult, simplifies the process quite a bit. The result, at least for me, has been that I have come to see Jesus’ teaching in this area as liberating and empowering, rather than hard and severe, and that most of the cares of this world are a waste of time and energy.
Of course, I might just be crazy… Yet I don’t think so.
If we find what we are looking for, isn’t that the same thing as finding what we seek? Yes, it is!
Jesus is telling the people to seek first His Kingdom and its righteousness, and if they do that, then they will find them. So, which is better: Finding things to worry about, or finding the things of God?
The choice is yours to make.
Life Project Blog 
“Worry” or “concern”? I’ve wondered about this passage many times (worried about it?). I have never “worried” about retirement, but I have kept an eye on things to make sure they were moving in the right directions and making adjustments as things in my life (and the market) changed. At what point do we cross the line between “concern” and the “worry” that Jesus speaks? We are also told that only a foolish king enters into battle without first assessing the situation, so some amount of “concern” must be proper…but how much?
μεριμνάω (merimnaō) to be anxious, or solicitous, Phil. 4:6; to expend careful thought, Mt. 6:27, 28, 31, 34a; 10:19; Lk. 10:41; 12:11, 22, 25, 26; to concern one’s self, Mt. 6:25; 1 Cor. 12:25; to have the thoughts occupied with, 1 Cor. 7:32, 33, 34; to feel an interest in, Phil. 2:20
So, any more thoughts? How does one even quantify such things?
My thought (belief) is that he was speaking of obsession vs diligence.
Yes, probably so. Or maybe trusting Him vs. trusting myself…?
I don’t know. That gets into the whole “everything that happens to you is from God”, which then leads into the “why do good things…” philosophy. I would then have to wonder what the purpose is of you (blogger) losing your site, me (also blogging) developed arthritis. Why did my disabled son pass at 33? And so on.
…and there are no easy answers to any of that. For that matter, they’re just like how much concern is worry. Perhaps it’s all a matter of where the heart really is, at least that how I usually view such things, yet in the final analysis, I don’t know either 🙂
Might “stewardship” be considered here versus “ownership”? Whether little or much, or easy or hard, whatever God has given me is for his glory rather than mine, even my very life. I don’t think the unfaithful servant who was given only one talent would have been condemned for having brought back less than his original one talent if only he had put it to work as was asked of him. The unfaithful servant “worried” that he might lose the Master’s talent. We are not asked to succeed by worldly parameters, only to be faithful. Often our worry is because we take ownership of things and circumstances rather than of our duty as stewards of the Master’s goods whether material or circumstantial. The Apostle Paul said he had learned to be “content” in any circumstance. (Philippians 4:11-12)
That’s an interesting thought… In principle I like it and I think you may be on to something. However, speaking only for myself now, I might tend to be anxious about managing (being a steward of) someone else’s asset(s). There have been times in my working life when I have been in that situation, and in a circumstance in which I might have been relaxed or easy going about my own property, when responsible for another’s I am not at all calm because I took the duty of stewardship very seriously indeed.
What say you?
We’ll never get it quite right in this world. It’s the goal, a matter of degrees as Paul says in Philippians 3:7-14. One might say that Paul isn’t speaking of the same thing in these verses, but isn’t all of this life’s goal to be like Jesus, that heavenward call? Did Jesus ever worry? Was Jesus ever anxious? He was oppressed in The Garden, weighed down with the guilt of the World for all of time, yet he was *fully* committed to doing the Father’s will. So confident was he that it was even there that he said his Father would send 12 legions of angels to aid him if he’d ask. We will inevitably find ourselves anxious and worrying; that’s the time to look at Jesus’ perfect example, and ask that his Holy Spirit reassure us that he will see us though to his glory. Personally, I sure have a long way to go in this “be anxious for nothing” goal when I’m responsible for others’ things (but everything is “not mine” but his). Looking back on his faithfulness through the years, I am less anxious than I used to be!
(Had to back up one level in the comments since there was no “reply” option after your “What say you?”, Don.)
Excellent observations!!
I was readomg in Philippians 4 this morning. Paul has “learned” the secret of being content in much as well as little, abounding as well as being brought low. The secret? Trust in God to supplying all his needs, being content with what he has, and (elsewhere) knowing that he will be strengthened in his weakness by God’s power. .
Amen!