Although it’s not always the best way to read the bible, I occasionally randomly flip to any page and see whether i can gather some insight from God’s word for the day. This morning, it brought me to Matthew 6, which has many practical spiritual lessons. And there were some verses that really leaped out of the page for me, as it was just about the very same thing I had been discussing with a fellow believer just yesterday evening, about how we are to deal with anxiety. This is what I read:
Mat 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? … (27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin … (30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?… (32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (34) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
The KJV uses the words “take not thought ” while other faithful translations use the word “anxious”. They basically mean the same thing. Our Lord was speaking to us who worry over this and that. Simply, we are to be careful against worldly cares that may preoccupy our minds with unnecessary thoughts … about the ‘necessary’ things in life. God wants us to trust Him, that as the heavenly Father, He knows just what we need and that He will provide for it. There should be no need to lose hair & sleep over it. When we are plagued by worries, it’s an indicator of where our confidence is placed. “O ye of little faith” is a telling reminder to us that when our minds are preoccupied with all these cares of life, it shows that we might be in fact doubting our sovereign provider.
Then I asked myself, if I’m to “take not thought” of these things, what ought I to be taking thought of ? The answer was clear from the passage. Instead of worrying and seeking all the things that the Lord has said He will take care of, we are to “…seek ye first kingdom of God and his righteousness”. Verse 33 has one of the great but’s of the bible. The “But” tells me that this is where we are different from the rest and there is a different way to live, the “seek ye” is a directive addressed to me, the “first” tells me that this should be my priority. The “kingdom of God and His righteousness” is what is to be most pursued in this life and ultimately counts the most, what we should be most concerned with. Are we concerned about the things of the Lord, His work or our work? His righteousness or our so called ‘rights’ and needs in this world? God wants us to seek Him, His kingdom and His righteousness, which refers to living holy lives for Him. This verse comes packed with a wonderful promise that “all these things shall be added unto you.”.
The scriptures tell us that when we are anxious, we can come to the Lord, trust and commit the matter to the Him. We can recall the words in 1Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” and the apostle Paul’s instruction in Philippians 4:6 to “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” But, i think a lot of the anxiety we have is because we often forget to practice what our Lord told us on the mountain in Matthew 6:33.
Antioch Agent 
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