“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus was addressing people who were too preoccupied with their daily needs. Not that they were not allowed to have these needs. But they were overly concerned about them. Again, Jesus wants to change our perspective. He’s not talking about the contradiction between worrying about your daily needs and not worrying about anything. What Jesus is talking about is whether one’s primary concern is for food and clothing, or whether one’s primary concern is for the things of God. God doesn’t give us food, drink and clothing as the ultimate goal of our lives. Living according to the laws of the kingdom of God is the higher purpose. That is the entire message of what we call the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5-7. “Seek first the kingdom of God,” says Jesus (Matthew 6:33). Let your relationship with God be the number one priority in your life. Then you can bring your daily, practical concerns to Him. Jesus is not telling us to ignore our problems, even when it comes to our daily needs, but He wants to give us the right perspective.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you know what I need. Help me to let go of what is superfluous or what I worry about unnecessarily. Thank you for knowing the need in my life. Will you meet my need?