All These Things

Author: Joseph

Date: January 26, 2020

What kind of worries take hold of your mind as you go throughout your day? Are you worried about pleasing someone in order to keep the stability in your life? Are you worried about what you will be able to provide from the work you do? Do you stress over not knowing if the next day will get any better than today? Let’s look at all these questions in another way. Do you think God is unaware of the things that you need in your life or do you think that God is unwilling to meet your needs?

Those who do not know God or reject Him have no hope that their needs will ever be fulfilled. They competitively pursue their goals, not allowing anything or anyone to restrain them from getting what they need and what they want. In the end, they are left with a never-ending goal of “the next best thing” or “self-fulfillment,” but pursuing these things is like chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). Their needs will never be fulfilled by pursuing their own desires. No matter how much effort they put into seeking the things they need, they will never fill the void.

But since this is true, then why do even disciples of God find themselves with the same neediness in their own lives as those that do not know God? If they are God’s own people, then shouldn’t all their needs be fulfilled?

Two things restrain a disciple of God from having their needs met. The first is the pursuit of self-reliance. Self-reliance causes you to turn away from relying on God to fulfill your needs and, instead, you begin to trust in your own abilities (which consequentially transforms into self-idolatry). Self-idolatry seeks to admire oneself and convince others that they also need to be self-reliant in order to have their needs met and desires fulfilled. The pursuit of self-reliance (self-idolatry) bears its self-destructive fruit: worry and anxiety. The self-idolater’s own imperfections and weaknesses create an internal conflict between wanting to be self-reliant, but also realizing that they have limitations that cannot be overcome on their own. In the end, these limitations cause them to worry and become anxious, knowing that they will inevitably and certainly fail themselves.

Yeshua tells His disciples that the birds of the air do not work for their food, yet God feeds them (Matthew 6:26). He also tells them that the lilies in the field quickly die and fade away, yet they are clothed beautifully (Matthew 6:28-29). The examples He gave are meant to show that God cares for His creation, even to the smallest and least significant creature. God’s disciples are much greater than a bird or flower and so God has much greater care when it comes to this part of His creation. Yeshua stated, then, that His disciples had no reason to worry or be anxious – they had no reason to seek self-reliance since God was taking care of them. The people of the world are self-reliant in pursuing their needs out of their own will and efforts, but the disciples of God are to rely on God, knowing that He already knows and cares to meet all their needs (Matthew 6:32).

The second thing that restrains a disciple of God from having their needs met is seeking things that are apart from God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Seeking things apart from God’s kingdom and righteousness comes from rejecting God’s authority in your life or from living in sin. When you reject God’s authority, you do not allow Him kingship in your life. If your king is not Him, then it is someone or something else (which is idolatry). When you do not seek His righteousness, you live in sin. If His righteousness is not being lived out in your life, then you bear the fruit of your sin instead, which results in loss and death.

"...the disciples of God are to rely on God..."

Seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness is an act of reliance on God that guarantees that “all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Every need will be met and you will have no reason to worry about tomorrow. Even when things don’t seem well and your circumstances aren’t favorable, if you are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, He promises that all your needs will be met. Have faith that even as the birds and lilies are cared for, He will care for you.

Do not get entangled in self-reliance or in seeking things that are apart from God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Repent of anything that causes you to live this way. God is waiting eagerly for you to turn to Him and seek His will so that all your needs can be met.

Matthew 6:25-34

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org