May 9, 2018 OUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS
Matthew 6:30-33: “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
One thing for sure, having things ‘added’ to you beats ‘eagerly seeking’ every time. At times, we may feel that the day to day, routines of life-the nitty-gritty of life is up to us-that God is all about the spiritual and ‘higher’ things of life. There is no doubt that untold numbers of believers buy into the lie that says that it is by our sweat and toil that we get what we need and what we want-thus in reality providing for ourselves. It is indeed a subtle issue; we say we are trusting God for our needs, but yet we may find ourselves living as though it is up to us to provide. Certainly, many believers live and work under undue stress. This section of Scripture is a good reminder for us that our Heavenly Father is not far removed, but is well aware of the needs of His people. And not only aware, but also provides for our needs. There is one vital truth in this passage that must not be overlooked. I believe that it is possible to be a believer, and yet not be living according to the ways of God. The promises of this passage are conditional-as are many other promises of God. God’s promise to ‘add to’ or supply our needs, is for those believers who “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” The amazing thing is that when we seek Him first, we find that He does supply what we need, and when we learn that He is the provider, stress subsides. Even though God is the provider, we are called to work, to take dominion, and to be creative-but all we do should flow out of our relationship with our Father. We work, we play, we live in peace, we love, and we worship Him all because we realize that He is our Father and we are His sons and daughters. Seeking Him first is an issue of our heart. What is it that we desire most in life? If it is our greatest desire to know Him, then we can rest assured that He will add to our life all that we need. (It’s another subject for another blog, but God has promised to meet our real needs-not necessarily all of our ‘wants.’ Often, it is our ‘wants’ that is the source of our stress.)
2 Corinthians 9:10: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Matthew 6:30-33: “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”
One thing for sure, having things ‘added’ to you beats ‘eagerly seeking’ every time. At times, we may feel that the day to day, routines of life-the nitty-gritty of life is up to us-that God is all about the spiritual and ‘higher’ things of life. There is no doubt that untold numbers of believers buy into the lie that says that it is by our sweat and toil that we get what we need and what we want-thus in reality providing for ourselves. It is indeed a subtle issue; we say we are trusting God for our needs, but yet we may find ourselves living as though it is up to us to provide. Certainly, many believers live and work under undue stress. This section of Scripture is a good reminder for us that our Heavenly Father is not far removed, but is well aware of the needs of His people. And not only aware, but also provides for our needs. There is one vital truth in this passage that must not be overlooked. I believe that it is possible to be a believer, and yet not be living according to the ways of God. The promises of this passage are conditional-as are many other promises of God. God’s promise to ‘add to’ or supply our needs, is for those believers who “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” The amazing thing is that when we seek Him first, we find that He does supply what we need, and when we learn that He is the provider, stress subsides. Even though God is the provider, we are called to work, to take dominion, and to be creative-but all we do should flow out of our relationship with our Father. We work, we play, we live in peace, we love, and we worship Him all because we realize that He is our Father and we are His sons and daughters. Seeking Him first is an issue of our heart. What is it that we desire most in life? If it is our greatest desire to know Him, then we can rest assured that He will add to our life all that we need. (It’s another subject for another blog, but God has promised to meet our real needs-not necessarily all of our ‘wants.’ Often, it is our ‘wants’ that is the source of our stress.)
2 Corinthians 9:10: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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