Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Today, we continue Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount! Day 65, Matthew 6:31-34 — The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 6:31-34 (NASB1995) “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Review Jesus has warned about the frivolous pursuit of money and possessions and how His followers should seek eternal treasures instead. It is fruitless to store earthly treasures, as they hold no eternal value. Likewise, the disciple of Christ should focus on what they do have instead of worrying about what they do not. The Christian needs a proper perspective on our worldly struggles and to understand that life is more than money, food, and possessions, as God’s purposes are eternal, and He promises to care for us. Discussion Yesterday, we continued learning about the anxieties of the world and why we need not focus on them. It is clear that worrying does nothing for our circumstances and is a complete waste of time. Even though anxiety and worry are natural human emotions, the LORD is teaching us the importance of not focusing on our worry and anxiety. As we go about our day-to-day lives, we will face moments of anxiety, worry, or stress. When these feelings arise, we must take them captive by focusing on God and being grateful for what we have. Sulking over the things we do not have and worrying about these things will only heighten the anxiety. God knows these feelings are real, but He also has the cure for them. If we have a proper perspective of our circumstances, then we would focus on the blessings we have and see how much God loves and adores us. Today, we continue learning to trust God and seek Him above all things. We should not worry like the world does because we have the hope of Christ. Jesus continues His teaching on possessions by attacking worry at its core. He says, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’” Surely, the Jewish listener and current reader understand the message. Jesus is abundantly clear about not worrying. Why? Because the follower of Christ has something others do not—the promises of God. “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things.” The Gentiles sought possessions, money, and acclaim, but all for naught. The unbeliever knows nothing beyond the trivialness of this present life. Not because they do not seek the eternal at all, but because nothing kindles their aspirations or engages their attention, like the pursuit of present treasures.[1] It is in this place of desire that Jesus wants to draw our attention away from the world and to Him. He wants His disciples to understand they have all they need in God. They do not need to focus on the temporal treasures of the world for satisfaction or security, as the Gentiles do. The Father knows our needs and understands our state of desperation. As the v. 32b states, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” What a beautiful truth to hold on to! Jesus also says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It is important to note that the next verse (6:33) does not mean that God will add temporal things that we desire, as many teach. Jesus will not add things that are against His will or eternal purposes for us. That carnal interpretation completely contradicts the rest of His teaching, so let’s not take it out of context. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The correct interpretation shows us that there is deliverance from the burdens of anxiety in Christ, freedom from the desires of the world, and hope in eternity. The temporal no longer matters to the believer when they put their full hope, trust, and desires in Jesus. He provides all we need without an inkling of desire for the world. It is not in the carnal things we seek and desire, but in Jesus. This is true freedom. This is what the Father knows we need, and He provides it to His children. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” God wants our hearts to be at rest—to be without worry in Christ. We will face trials and deal with daily anxieties, but how we respond in those moments is what God cares about. Let’s rest in Him and genuinely believe what He says. Let’s believe that He knows our needs and trust that He will provide as He says—and let’s give Him our worry instead of multiplying it by holding on to it. Application All my life I misunderstood Matthew 6:33, as I believed it to be about whatever I wanted. I never once thought about this passage in context or about God’s will. Are you in that boat? If so, do you now see the beautiful truth of the verse as it applies to our spiritual needs and God’s eternal purpose for our lives? Throughout Matthew 6, we learn God does not want us to desire or seek worldly treasures. He also does not want us to be anxious or worried, either. Instead, He wants us to focus on Him and His will. In doing so, He will add all these things to us: His peace, joy, patience, freedom, and supernatural hope in our eternal future instead of our short carnal life. May we repent of self-seeking and ignoring God’s will for our lives. May we be obedient and know that we do not need to worry or be anxious in this life. Even if we have nothing, we have everything in Christ. Do you believe that? If you lost everything, would you still have everything? It is a question I often ask myself. I believe it provides a proper perspective of my ‘worries’ and ‘needs.’ May we SEEK the LORD alone and BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS. But not just believe—TRUST and OBEY. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 7:1-2. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Fausset, Brown, Jamieson, “Commentary on the Whole Bible.”
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