What! Me worry?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:31-34
This passage actually starts with verse 24 where Jesus is telling us that we cannot serve both God and money. In verse 25 He says “therefore” to bridge the concept from the issue of who or what we serve, and our worry. We are not to worry about 3 specific things: food, drink, and clothing. He is aware of our needs, and has promised to supply them. The point here that is often missed is that we should not be focusing on financial issues, but on faith issues. We should not spend our life striving with all our might for financial prosperity, but instead should trust in God Who will supply all our needs in Christ Jesus. We are to seek the Kingdom of God, and the righteousness that is associated with Him before anything else – especially financial prosperity! God has promised that if we ’sell out’ to Him, then He will insure that we receive all that we need (not want, but need).
Then, at the last, He adds a summation: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow” – that is, live in the day. We are expected to plan for the future, but live for the day. I prefer the way the old King James Bible says it: “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” There is plenty enough problems for today – we do not need to spend the time of today worrying about what is coming up. Besides, God will often change the circumstances of tomorrow, so that our worries become unjustified. And, even if our concerns come true, there is nothing we can do to change them by worrying about them. All that worrying does is take us away from dealing with the issues of today! How many times have we spent the day worrying about something, and then realize that at the end of the day we have accomplished absolutely nothing? What a waste! If we had spent the day trusting God instead of worrying, then we would have had the time and energy to be productive! What a difference it makes to sit down in the evening with the satisfaction of a good productive day, and the presence of God in our lives telling us that HE WILL take care of us!
Worrying is expressing a lack of faith in God. Serving money is doing the same thing. Striving for financial gain is just plain sin. God seems to equate the two here. Beloved, we need to change our focus from our wants to our Lord!
