Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
The teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 is all about anxiety. The children of God are taught not to be anxious. Matthew 6:25 begins with a “therefore”, which means we need to pay attention to the scriptures before this. The teaching in the previous section starts from verses 19 to 24 and talk about ‘laying up treasures in heaven’. What this implies is that there is a direct correlation between what your treasure is and your anxiety.
Ultimately the teaching of Jesus will cause you to determine where your focus is. Is your focus the treasure of this world, or is your focus on the greatest treasure, which is in Jesus Christ? So let us try and break these verses down, and by the time we reach the end of the chapter, I pray that anxiety will no longer rule you, instead the peace and joy of God will overflow in you.
Matthew 6:19-21 says “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Firstly, determine your treasure. Is your treasure worldly? Worldly wealth is here one moment and gone the next. They are susceptible to destruction, and you can lose it. It is temporary. If someone asked you the question about who or what your treasure it, I am sure you will quickly respond, saying it is Jesus Christ. These are only words, but is it true of your heart? The very next verses prompt you to validate your response.
Matthew 6:22-24 says “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
What are you allowing your eyes to see? Are you searching out for the pleasures of this world, the things of this world that will bring satisfaction to you? This could be relationships; it could be material; it could be physical; it could be status or pride or money. So, if you responded by saying Jesus is your treasure, but your heart’s desire is different, then you are serving two masters. Your words proclaim that Jesus is your treasure, but your heart cries out that the world is your treasure. Friends, you cannot serve two masters.
Therefore, verses 25 to 32 says “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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all”
You see, your heart is worried about this life, about the pleasures of this world, about fulfilling your immediate needs because that is the source of your joy and fulfilment. Friends, this causes you grief and brings worry. Instead, allow Christ to be the source of your happiness, let Christ be the fulfilment of your desires. When you do this, every anxiety will flee. Life is more than food and clothing. You see it is the people of this world that worry about these things. It is the gentiles who worry about this. And so, it must not be a trait of a follower of Christ.
In saying all this, the final key to be released from the clutches of anxiety is provided to us in verse 33 and 34. It says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
In conclusion, let your words match your heart. Do not serve two masters; instead, let it be all about Christ. Do not worry about food and clothing; in other words, all those things that are causing you to suffer. Even this worldly life itself because it is the ungodly people that worry about these things. Instead, seek first the kingdom of Good and all His righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. In this way you will rule over anxiety and anxiety will have no power over you.
Amen and God bless.
