Our Heavenly Father
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study: Matthew 6: 24 – 34
Background: Matthew 6: 19 – 34; ?
Devotional: Ephesians 1:3 – 10
Lesson 2 December 13, 2025
Key Verse
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will]worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34
INTRODUCTION
This most important Study of Jesus’ instructions on how those in the Kingdom of God should be seen by all to be living is based on the person of the Heavenly Father in whom you believe. This person of the Father is the primary Study the believer can engage in, for all the teachings of Scripture rests on Him, His character, and His person. Our existence and our life all rests on the Heavenly Father, and hence His Providence or government is of critical importance.
He is the Supreme Being and the object of our faith.
It is sad that most believers have a very limited knowledge of the role of and the work of the Father. We often do not realize God the Father has been the One behind our creation and that He has worked and is still working. Psalm 2 states that presently He is working and putting the enemies of Jesus under His footstool.
The God we will be concerned with in our Study is the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, and He is described in all the Books of the Bible except the Book of Esther and the Songs of Solomon, Books which carry a powerful and inescapable message about God’s nature and His expectation of the responsibility of human beings, even without explicitly mentioning Him by name..
This God is pictured in Scripture as the Creator, the Provider, and the Lawgiver. He created all things in heaven and earth and all the universe and its creatures and life-forms depend on Him.
He is just, perfect in every sense, and is beauty, creativity, goodness, justice, mercy, compassion, patience, love, and Holiness personified.
Accordingly and logically, this God of the Bible demands exclusive worship, and His name is written as YHVH, more than 6,000 times in the Bible. The name of God is found in a compound name, such as “Lord of hosts”, or Jehovah Tsebaoth. The name YHVH is often combined with “Elohim”, and this combination appears approximately 2600 times in Scripture. The term stresses might and power.
Another name for God is “El” used approximately 230 times. This name was also used by pagans to refer to some of their deities.
Other well-known names for God was “El Roi, the God who sees me”, or “El who sees me”. Genesis 16:13. Another name was El Shaddai. Yet another was El Elyon or “God Most High”.
Other names in Scripture, and these listed are not all the names therein include:
El Olam, “the God of Eternity”,
Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord will provide”
Jehovah-Rophi, “The God our Healer or Physician”
Jehovah-Nissi, “The Lord our Banner”
Jehovah M’Kaddesh, “The Lord thy Sanctifier”
Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord our Peace”
Jehovah=Tsidkenu, “The Lord our Righteousness”
Jehovah-Rophi, “The Lord my Shepherd”
Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord is there”.
The names of God used in Scriptures tells us who He is, for names represent the true character and distinctive attributes of the person. The names of God therefore revealed God’s true nature or self.
He has all you will or can ever need. You can rest of Him safely and without fear.
His name stands for His exclusive Deity and His glory.
Note that God the Father is to be distinguished from the beings named in myths, and approached by various rites, for these gods are a species of the class of unclean spirits.
These gods though worshipped, were in almost every way just like human beings. Many started out as human beings who proclaimed themselves as gods to be worshipped. But generally these pagan gods were regarded as greater in power, intelligence, or worth.
The gods of the ancient national religions such as those of the ancient Chaldeans, Egyptians, Sumerians, Phonecians, Amorites, Hitties, Greeks, Romans and others, although clearly super human and generally said to be immortal, were never regarded as perfect or infinite in the way that we think of God.
Some religions have many gods, for example those in India where there are about 7500 different gods. The names of these gods most often reflect single or a few aspects of reality.
This was very different from the case of Israel, for the God of Israel was the God who was the source of, and included all reality.
The Scriptures were quite emphatic that men should worship only Jehovah or as some name Him Jahweh or Yahveh. But Scripture also made it clear that Israel over and over again worshipped other gods at the same time as worshipping Jehovah. For long periods, Israel disregarded its God and His commandments. God’s relationship with His people including Israel, was based on covenant. In the case of Israel this covenant was indispensable for the identity of Israel as a nation.
It was Jehovah who had taken them out of slavery in Egypt, had taken them through the wilderness, and had given them land in Canaan.
Note that God the Father is a Spirit Being and this means He is not material as we are. The God of Israel was neither male or female as humans beings of gender for He incorporated all the best of the gender qualities.
We learn from Scripture that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together are called God, so we can say God subsists in three persons, namely, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We therefore should say God is a Triunity, that is, the three “persons” of the Godhead form a unity called God.
There are not three Gods. The Bible recognizes three as God. For example in John 6 :27 the Father is referred to as God. In John 1:1 and verse 14, the Word or Jesus is referred to as God. In Acts 5:3,4 the Holy Spirit is referred to as God.
The Bible moreover recognizes the three as distinct “persons” (though be warned that the definition of “person” is not quite the same as in our modern non-metaphysical way of thinking). Being distinct we can see they share all the attributes of “personhood” as we define that today.
In a real sense they are inseparable, but are of the same substance, essence, nature, power and character.
The Bible teaches us that there is One God. Deuteronomy 6:4 is the National Anthem of Israel, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord”.
Understand therefore that when we speak of God the Father it must be understood we are not speaking about a person who is simply a human being multiplied by say one Million percent in power, might, intellect, ability, or so on.
God is not a man, and we cannot reason or think of God as just a more powerful man. God is Spirit, and utterly different qualitatively and essentially from His creation.
We know therefore that God is Lord and Sovereign, the Creator, the Deliverer, and the One who maintains the covenant relationship.
This God was Lord and Sovereign, and had created the world and men to demonstrate concretely His Fatherhood. God intervened to save and so Malachi 2:10 would put it this way
“Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of the fathers?”
We do not know all the details of the relationship in the Godhead between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for that is above the understanding of finite human beings.
But the Scripture make it clear that there is a covenant relationship with believers and that this is special and unique, with intimacy, personalness, and blessing.
The Fatherhood implies there is a unique and gracious calling and election made by God.
The Father, who is righteous and faithful to His covenant promises, sustains, provides for, and joyfully cares for those in the covenant. Apparently then, the covenant at Sinai bound Israel and later those who came to God as a sacred family.
The head of the family is Jehovah, and father. It was Jehovah who had taken them from slavery in Egypt, and had confirmed that they were His own special people. It is therefore in the covenant relationship that the divine Fatherhood of God came to Israel, for as the descendants of their father Abraham, they had been chosen by their Heavenly Father.
The covenant relationship had begun with the promise to Abraham and the other Patriarchs and in this covenant relationship there was extraordinary intimacy.
Note therefore that God in concerned about and cares for the people He redeemed. The work of the Son had paid the price, and the Holy Spirit had brought those redeemed at the Cross applying the work of redemption and completing the work through sanctification.
In the Song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32:6 (this Song is sung and repeated by the saints in the Book of Revelation) Moses asks:
“Is He not your Father that hath bought you?
Has He not made you and established you?”.
God then, because of what He had done, and the special relationship between Himself and Israel, can refer to Israel as His firstborn Son in Exodus 4:22 and Hosea 11:1.
So Jesus would call the Father “abba” when He addressed Him, as this was the familiar way of a child speaking to his beloved parents. We see therefore the unique relationship which involves a kind of closeness, love, intimacy, complete sharing, complete trust, complete reliance on, complete obedience to, that describes the relationship of Father and Son.
So we are told about the Sovereignty of the Father’s grace in the verse
“No man can come to me, except the Father….. draw him”.
Jesus calls on us to worship the Father. John 4:22-24.
The Father has active love:
“The Father loves the son…John 3:35;
In 16:27 “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came from God”.
See also 1 John 3:1 “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God!”
So with this in mind our Study Lesson asks you pointedly,
In whom should you trust?
Given God created you and loved you, and wants the best for you as shown in His providence or government is there unfaithfulness when you have anxiety?
Can you trust two masters, the world which is called “mammon” as opposed to your God, your Creator and Sustainers?
What kind of logic or reasoning do you apply in your living?
Think about it!
We know however that Worry is a universal human experience. Our brains constantly provoke us to evaluate our circumstances and identify threats to our well-being. Threats are many, but even when they are minor, we exaggerate them or imagine threats that do not exist. We leave ourselves with restlessness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, short tempers, and feelings of hopelessness.
Psychologists, sociologists, doctors and drug manufacturers propose a great amount of cures but these many cures though they help are ineffective in addressing this universal malady.
Today’s Text is near the middle of Jesus’ discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus laid-out life-principles for citizens of the Kingdom represented by His disciples here (Matthew 5-7) and necessarily spoke to the issue of worry and anxiety. The words ‘do not worry’ is repeated often in this section of the Sermon and this comforting exhortation was and is grounded in the Person of their ‘Father’.
Jesus tells them not to worry and He supports this advice by exhortation with easy-to-understand illustrations. Sayings from the Sermon on the Mount have become part of our everyday language; sayings such as “do unto others” … “judge not,…” “turn the other cheek …,” and how the believer should approach the issue of anxiety and worry.
Despite its familiarity now and its novelty in the day of Jesus, the ‘Sermon’ remains a topic of discussion and even disagreement among Christians.
Unbelievers by and large regard its teachings as a much admired but unattainable ideal.
Many Christians have also been tainted with this idea and they too regard the ‘Sermon’ as literally impossible and unrealistic.
Others have taken the Sermon as a ‘must do’ in order to enter the Kingdom of God and to receive the blessings mentioned. However, it seems clear from the Text that Jesus is describing the qualities and duties of those already in the Kingdom. The ‘Sermon’ is not about how to get into the Kingdom, but how we are to be because we are in the Kingdom.
Jesus told Nicodemus “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…” (Jn.3:3). Citizens of this Kingdom are those who are ‘born again believers’. Jesus made it clear that to enter this Kingdom is in fact to enter salvation and eternal life. Notably, the Sermon was primarily directed to those who already believed in Jesus, though it was delivered in the hearing of a multitude.
Also, it was spoken in an official and authoritative manner and consequently whatever it meant, it was binding on the hearers, (Matt. 5:1-2).
The timing of the ‘Sermon’ is significant as the Context reveals. Jesus launched His public ministry after the arrest of John the Baptist. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; (4:17) He picked up on the theme of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ as the time was right for Jesus to declare what Kingdom living was all about. The word “Kingdom” refers first to a King’s reign and rule and secondly to the King’s realm, the territory subject to the rule of a king. The Kingdom of God, then, is primarily the reign and rule of God.
Presently Christ reigns in the hearts of His people and His rule is played out through the work of ‘Kingdom’ citizens during this present age. However, the ‘Kingdom’ will have its ultimate expression when Jesus returns and establishes His world-wide millennium rule from Jerusalem, (Isa. 62; 2:1-4; Acts 1:6-7; Rev. 20:6; Matt. 26:29; 8:10-11 et al).
His teachings consistently stripped away the “traditions of men” from the teachings of God, which are of course completely true and reliable. Jesus had to contend with layers of false traditions and misinterpretations, which had the effect of voiding the word of God. The ‘Sermon’ then becomes a milestone event where Jesus laid out the character traits, duties and blessings of those in the Kingdom.
Jesus’ answers touch on the most sensitive areas of human experience.
God will bless the meek and lowly (Matthew 5:3–6), those who reflect God’s character (5:7–9), and those who suffer in the name of Jesus (5:10–12). God’s people will be ambassadors of His redeeming truth (5:13–16), fulfilling God’s will with lives that are righteous inside and out (5:17–30). Their integrity and love will reflect God’s own, extending even to those who wish them ill (5:31–48).
They will be godly not simply on the outside, where others can see, but also inside, where God alone sees (6:1–8, 14–24).
God’s people will let Him judge others, as they pursue His righteousness and give help to others in that pursuit (7:1–6).
Repeatedly in the Sermon, Jesus addressed the problem of worry. Subjects under God’s rule are to pray for God’s will to be done in all the earth, dependent on Him to supply the resources, grace, and strength that they need daily (Matt. 6:9–13).
“Therefore”, says Jesus and this word “therefore” defines the context and connects with the statement that Jesus will make. Obviously if the Master who is our Savior has given us life, He would surely give us the lesser of things such as our daily needs for these are minor matters in comparison to the gift of life.
THE TEXT
Verses 19 through 24 deal with love of the world and verses 25 through 34 with anxiety because of the world. Jesus taught that anxiety is, first, unnecessary (vv. 25-30), second, unworthy (vv. 31-33) and third, unfruitful (v. 34).
Verse 24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,
(Gen. 29:30-31; Mal. 1:1-2) and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve [ to be a slave, serve, do service] God and mammon.
‘Mammon’ is the transliteration of the emphatic form of the Aramaic word mamona, meaning “wealth” or “property.” The root word (mn), in both Hebrew and Aramaic, indicates something in which one places confidence. Here Jesus personified it and set it over against God, as a competing object of confidence. Jesus presented God and Mammon as two slave owners, masters. This is an argument from fellowship.
… Ye cannot serve … serve means ‘be slave to’.
Note, single ownership and fulltime service are the essence of slavery.
A person might be able to work for two different employers at the same time. However, God and Mammon are not employers but slave owners. Each demands single-minded devotion. To give either anything less is to provide no true service at all.
It would be particularly meaningful in the time in which the Lord Jesus said this, for a slave was the total property of his master. His master had total ownership. And also with total ownership, total responsibility. And so in the light of the fact that we are His slaves, ideally we are serving Him. We are not serving “mammon”, the world and its ways and life styles.
Well if we are His slaves, then we have no worries, because the responsibilities are His.
Therefore, I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, for you are his slave.
He has total ownership, and in having total ownership, He has total responsibility.
So in the light of this relationship that we bear to Him, why should we be anxious?
As a master cares for slaves, so our God will care for us.
It’s not surprising, then, that in this passage, we should have three occurrences of the expression, “be not anxious.”
– In the 25th verse, “Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious.”
– In the 31st verse, “Therefore, be not anxious.”
– And then, in the 34th verse, “Be therefore not anxious about tomorrow.”
So in the light of the fact that we are His slaves, “be not anxious.”
Anxiety about the contingencies of life have no place in the life of a slave, whose responsibilities are to his master.
Verse 25. This verse states a general principle in light of the previous verses (19-24) and Jesus will illustrate in the succeeding verses.
Therefore [On account of this; for this reason] draws a conclusion from what has preceded (vv. 19-24).
…. Take no thought for your life,.. The focus of worry was first on survival. For the vast majority of people in Jesus’ day, food was grown on one’s own land, water drawn from wells daily, and clothing (raiment) sewn by hand. Those tasks required an enormous share of one’s time, energy, and resources.
Most people did not have disposable income. They used all they had to meet their most basic needs.
When a person serves God rather than ‘mammon’, they should not be anxiously concerned, perplexed, or suffer distressing thoughts and cares, about the ordinary needs of life.
Note that Jesus lists the things that are necessary for supporting human life. A person must eat and drink, and must cover the body to protect it against the elements.
…Is not the life more than meat … it is foolish to think that God would give us the greater gift, that is, the life and the body, and then withhold the lesser gifts, that is, food to sustain life and clothes to protect the body.
God showed His wisdom and power in accurately and wonderfully constructing man to serve His Maker and it would make no sense for Him not to provide for man.
Sons and daughters, children of the heavenly Father, should understand that the Father has given us the greatest gift of all and through that gift we have life. So shall He not give us all the lesser gifts as well?
“He that did not spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things”? Romans 8:32
Jesus argues from the greater to the lesser, (This argument is a fortiori). Since God has given us “life” and a “body,” He will certainly also provide what we need to maintain them (Luke 12:22-31; Heb. 13:5; 1 Pet. 5:7).
It is wrong, for a disciple to fret (worry) about such things. He or she should simply trust and obey God, and get on with fulfilling one’s divinely revealed calling in life of following God single-mindedly.
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God”. (Phil. 4:6-7).
There may be greater sins than worry, but very certainly there is no more disabling sin.
The KJV says, “take no thought for,” which might imply, in our day, that any planning about the future is inappropriate. This is surely not the case.
The key thought is “worry/ anxiety (Matt. 6:25, 27, 28, 31, 34).
– So it’s not the work that the Lord Jesus is speaking against.
– It’s not foresight. Christians ought to exercise foresight.
– He is attacking foreboding foresight. He is not talking about a shiftless, thriftless, reckless, thoughtless, improvident attitude of life, as someone has put it. He is saying that we must work, but in our work, we are not to be anxious.
Verse 26. …the fowls of the air: in Jesus’ day as now, the fowls of the air (birds) are of little value and very vulnerable. But in God’s design, they are fed not by their industry but by the Father. They gather whatever food God provides for them in their natural ecosystem.
Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.(Psalm 145:6).
Jesus used this imagery to argue from the lesser to the greater: if God provides for birds, how much more will He care for people created in His image?
This does not mean we can disregard work, any more than birds can disregard scavenging for their food, but it does mean we should disregard worry.
Jesus was not encouraging people to stop growing food. He assumed, rather, that sowing, harvesting, and storing are what people ought to do.
After all, God created humans to work in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15), the most ideal place and He commanded Israel to work The idea, rather, is one of trust as a hallmark of faith: because God feeds the birds, how much more are we to trust Him!
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work (Exodus 20:9).
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
As we ponder how much God cares for birds, do you trust the Father to care for you?
Verse 27. … by taking thought can add one cubit …? to the comparison with birds, Jesus adds the observation that worry can add nothing to life. The stressful anticipation of terrible things that might happen in the future, accomplishes nothing lasting.
… stature … the word translated stature can refer either to height or length of life. The expression one cubit normally is a measure of physical length, about eighteen inches, the distance from an adult’s elbow to fingertip. However, the context is not about height but survival. If we understand the reference to be to length of life instead of physical stature, then the “cubit” probably represents a span of time; a milestone like a significant birthday!
Fretting cannot lengthen life any more than it can put food on the table or clothes on the back.[fret – to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like]
Verses 28 – 29. Raiment (clothing) is a necessity for humans. For Jesus’ audience, clothing was difficult to come by (Matthew 6:25).
Nothing was automated; there were no textile mills. Rather, sheep had to be raised and shorn personally. Flax had to be grown and harvested. Fibers had to be spun into thread. Threads had to be woven into cloth on manual looms. Cloth had to be cut and sewn into garments.
All these processes were done by hand, requiring much time and energy.
In the end, only the wealthy owned much more than a single garment per person (Judges 14:12).
Being without adequate clothing left a person without protection from natural phenomena and signaled a low status as society saw things (1 Corinthians 4:11).
… lilies of the field …. Jesus contrasted this situation with that of common wildflowers that bloom so abundantly in Galilee during the spring. His point was that God is so good that He covers the ground with beautiful wildflowers that have no productive value and only last a short time.
These plants did no work, and certainly did nothing that compared with the tedious handcraft by which Jesus’ audience clothed themselves. Flowers were common and ordinary in Galilee, as they are today. Even so, God made them beautiful.
Verse 29. Solomon was the wealthiest king on earth when he ruled over Israel
(1 Kings 10:14–29). When people the world over came to Solomon to hear his wise teaching, they regularly brought rich gifts for him, including “garments, and armor” (10:25). Surely the king with the most splendid palace also had the most beautiful clothing!
But the sight of the wealthiest king’s clothing could not rival the sight of a meadow in full bloom. God’s care for common flowers surpasses how any person can dress himself or herself.
Verse 30. … shall he not much more …. again Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater. The grass of the field lasts only for a season. Then, even the most beautiful blooms dry up and are used in fires for cooking. If God gave splendid clothing to the common plants, how much more would He do so for His people?
Jesus’ audience could see that God cared for the plants. They should see the same for themselves.
… O ye of little faith? in Matthew Jesus used the phrase ye of little faith to rebuke His disciples when they failed to trust Him while in danger or need
(Matt.14:31; 16:8). In every instance, Jesus provided what His “little faith” followers needed.
Of course, Jesus’ teaching was designed to increase believers’ faith.
“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm”. (Matthew 8:26).
Jesus commended great faith on occasion (Matthew 8:10; 15:28 – Centurion / Syrophoenician woman). But faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things (17:20).
Even so, faith that does not grow is a stagnant faith (2 Thessalonians 1:3).
God’s providential grace should not make the disciple lazy, but confident that He will similarly provide for His children’s needs. God often dresses the simplest field more beautifully than Israel’s wealthiest king could adorn himself. Therefore, anxiety about the essentials of life really demonstrates lack of (“little”) “faith” in God.
The believing disciple has trusted God for his or her salvation and has God as “heavenly Father” (v. 26). Such a one has exercised some trust in God (“faith”), but the believer who worries about the necessities of life needs to trust Him for these things as well. Failure to do so demonstrates lack of appreciation for the Father’s love and power.
Note, the man or woman who feeds his or her heart on the record of what God has done in the past, will never worry about the future.
Verse 31. Therefore … with the word therefore, Jesus began to shift from what not to do to what to do.
… take no thought … the idea is not one of ignoring common-sense planning (Luke 14:28–32; Romans 15:24; etc.). Rather, what Jesus condemned was undue anxiety (Philippians 4:6).
“ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. Philippians 4:6
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”. 1 Pet. 5:7
Verse 32. Gentiles refers to those not of the Jewish faith. A common trait among Gentiles was their worship of false gods (Deuteronomy 7:1–6). Their gods were useless to them.
…your heavenly Father knoweth… the disciples on the other hand, had an all-knowing (omniscient) heavenly Father. He recognizes every human need; He is ready and able to meet human needs.
“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”. (Matthew 5:45).
To fret is to indicate lack of faith regarding God’s character and power.
Verse 33. … But seek ye first … in contrast to the one who worries unduly is the person who seeks first the kingdom of God. Jesus’ followers want above all for God’s will to be done everywhere as He reigns (Matthew 6:10). Rather than pursuing material things, the disciple should replace this with a pursuit having much greater significance. Seeking the Kingdom involves pursuing the things about the Kingdom for which Jesus taught His disciples to pray, namely: God’s honor, His reign, and His will (vs. 9-10).
This is one of only five places in Matthew where we read “Kingdom of God” rather than “Kingdom of heaven” (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43).
In each case, the Context requires a more personal reference to “God,” rather than a more oblique reference to “heaven.”
We are to be focused not on providing for ourselves as did Demas (2 Timothy 4:9), but on serving, obeying, and sharing God.
The parable in Luke 12:15–21 stands as an additional warning in this regard.
… his righteousness … to seek God’s Kingdom goes hand in hand with seeking his righteousness. The two cannot be separated (Matt. 5:6, 10, 20; Romans 14:17; Hebrews 1:8). What Jesus expresses here is the active pursuit of righteousness, which complements His earlier statements. For those in the Kingdom of God, nothing matters as much as having God’s righteousness—His right way prevailing in the world.
To seek God’s Kingdom and righteousness before our basic needs appears to make us more vulnerable. But in fact, the opposite is true. Because God reigns in His Kingdom, He is able to grant His people exactly when and what they need.
No less than Jesus Himself promises that those who seek first the Kingdom will receive all these things, namely the basic needs of life. God’s provision is more reliable than anything we could plan and accumulate for ourselves. By yielding first attention to matters of God’s Kingdom, we as Christians acknowledge that we do not hold ultimate power over our survival. God does! And God promises that He provides for His people under His rule.
We cannot stress enough that this promise has to do with God meeting our needs, not our wants. Many have distorted this Text and others like it to suggest that if people pursue God’s Kingdom vigorously enough, then God will grant material abundance, whatever we ask.
This obviously ignores the emphasis of this passage (James 4:3).
Jesus speaks entirely of foundational needs. The whole emphasis of His teaching in this section is on trust in God and submission to His will. Those who do so realize that they are not in a position to specify the precise amount of material goods they require. Rather, they trust God to give them what they need in the right amount. They express faith not by demanding more, but by believing that what God supplies is sufficient.
It is also important to note that Jesus’ teaching does not imply that people do nothing for their own support. We seek the Kingdom first, but we continue to obey God’s purpose for humanity as expressed in creation: to do useful work in the world (2 Thessalonians 3:12).
“Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread”. (2 Thes. 3:12).
The issue is not whether or not to work, but in how we approach our work (2 Thessalonians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:21; 4:5). Pursuing God’s Kingdom frees us from anxiety as we work because we trust God, not to test Him. We see our work not as the means of providing for ourselves, but as God’s provision for our needs.
Further, we are to see our work as a way of serving God and pursuing God’s right way.
Jesus demonstrated personally what it means to seek God’s Kingdom first. The Kingdom came through Jesus’ willing death for the sake of those who deserved only death. Though like anyone He did not want to die, Jesus committed Himself to the Kingdom plan (Matthew 26:42).
At first, His death appeared to be the most terrible end to His story. But just as Jesus had promised, He rose to life again (16:21; 28:5–7). Jesus now lives a triumphant, never-ending life for God’s triumphant, never-ending Kingdom.
…and all these things will be added to you… refers to the physical and normal needs of life. God will not leave believers stranded. This is a general principle, which cannot always answer the specific questions of why this individual or that individual suffers loss or is in need. Sometimes God will provide a time of need in order for believers to trust Him, turn to Him, or to improve their character. This statement is much like the book of Proverbs in the sense that it states general principles. They are not meant to explain every individual, particular occurrence.
Verse 34. Jesus’ closing remarks remind us again that God is in control of the future over which we have much less, if any, power.
To …take no thought… means to have no worry, to not fret. Jesus does not exclude prudent planning or saving (Luke 14:28–32 and Romans 15:24).
Rather, His words remind us that our planning and saving ought not to be motivated by fear. Instead, it is directed by trust in God and for His will.
The expression the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself is ironic but clear: “The future,” an inanimate entity, obviously does not worry. People, however, are more than capable of worrying! We worry not only about tomorrow, but also about months and years into the future!
The God who is sovereign over the future promises to care for His people. Even if the worst happens, God’s people can be confident that He will provide for us, both in this life and in the life to come.
…sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof… why worry about tomorrow when there are sufficient problems today? For the follower of Jesus, the focus is not to be on the uncertain future, but on the concrete present. To worry about tomorrow could be classified as poor stewardship if it results in today’s problems going unaddressed. Jesus calls His people to be obedient in “the now,” not anxious about “the later.”
Since we have such a promise, backed up by the testimony of divine providence, we should not fret “about tomorrow.” Today has enough “trouble” or evil for us to resolve.
Moreover, the trouble we anticipate tomorrow may never materialize. God provides only enough grace so we can deal with life one day at a time. Tomorrow He will provide enough grace (help) for what we will face then (Phil. 4:6-7).
To summarize, the disciple’s relationship to wealth should be one of trust in God and to have a single-minded commitment to the affairs of His kingdom and righteousness. It should not be hoarding or pursuing wealth for its own sake. God, not Mammon, should be the magnet of the believer’s life. The fruit of such an attitude will be freedom from anxiety about daily material needs.
“It is impossible to be a partially committed or part-time disciple; it is impossible to serve two masters, whether one of them be wealth or anything else, when the other master is meant to be God.
CONCLUSION
Few passages of the Bible challenge us relentlessly throughout life as much as does this one.
Do you see all the ways it makes us think about our lives? Trusting God for the future, seeking His Kingdom constantly as the first priority, makes us ponder how we use our time, where we place our efforts, how we relate to the people around us, and how we feel inside.
Jesus gives His followers a great responsibility in this passage. But we are missing the point if we feel burdened by that responsibility. When we listen carefully, we realize that Jesus is not making our lives harder with these words. Rather, He is making our lives easier. We are free from the burden of worry when we submit to God.
Note carefully that submitting brings up the effect of the fellowship of believers. If we treat each others as brethren and we work together and plan together, and share what we know about life and how to live it with love in our hearts rather than being competitive, we will find that disasters when they come will be much more easily managed.
It is a shame to admit that one famous cult in the Unites states proclaimed with much truth that during the Great Depression of the 30’s not one of their members went hungry.
Are we prepared to work together, and plan, to take care of each other as that cult did?
Our words expressing love are often denied by our actions.
Shame on us!
Clearly, worry does not keep us alive and well. Only God’s provision can sustain us through the trials of life. And certainly only God can give us a life that triumphs over death. God’s provision is powerful. He provides exactly what His people need. Trusting in God’s provision is the antidote to worry. Do you worry but rename it something like “concern” to pretend you are not violating Jesus’ command?
Present Him with gratitude, not with Platitudes
Show a thankful heart.
Have a thankful focus.
Have a thankful living.