City Life Starter

I. THE WORD

Matthew 6:25 “Therefor I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, not about your body, what you will put on.
Matthew 6: 33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Read the above verses again, and look closely. I’ve only pulled out two verses from the rest of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, addressing thousands gathered to hear Him as it is his opening statement and then the big picture of what He’s driving home.

1. Don’t be anxious about your basic needs
2. Depend on God for your daily sustenance

It sounds simple, yet it’s probably difficult to do. You don’t just automatically turn on a switch and you’re then completely dependent on God. Let’s look at facts here. Jesus is telling us not to be anxious because He knows this does not add any amount of time to one’s life. Worry, anxiety, and fear can actually shorten life. Anxiety is detrimental to
your health and spiritual well-being. So why do we still do it? Why don’t we “seek the kingdom of God?”

Think about this from another point of view. Imagine you’re thirsty, in a desert and there is not a drop of water in sight. Imagine you’re with someone and they tell you that they have all the water you would ever need in life, but you cannot see it, and because you can’t see it, you don’t believe that person can provide the water you need. So instead, you go out and about running to and fro looking frantically for water and nearly kill yourself from the weariness of running, maybe finding a cactus plant or two that you attempt to get water from, but it’s not satisfying. Get the picture?

That illustration, though a little extreme, is a picture of anxiety and fear, and in so doing, you’ve lost precious time and nearly your life, your flesh, even sleep. If you had simply believed the person had the water for you, you’d have been in a much better position.
That illustration does not fully capture the entirety of this scripture. But my point is this, as Pastor Chris iterated in his sermon Sunday, the reason we don’t seek God because we do not trust Him and do not believe He can or will take care of us.

Furthermore, as long as we’re just about our own needs and our own agendas, how could we possibly be seeking after God and His righteousness and His agenda? Coming to a trusting relationship with anyone comes from spending time with them and getting to know their character and personality. It is no different with God. I can assure you that your ultimate fulfillment comes from Him as He supplies what you genuinely need.