This passage, which is one of the most illuminating and helpful in the Bible, comes from the Sermon on the Mount. (Matt. 5-7) In this passage, Jesus talks about two things, worry and receiving the basic necessities of life. We will discuss each separately and then the connection between the two. Finally, we will discuss Jesus’ solution to both issues. The passage is found in Matthew 6:25-34:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt. 6:25-34

It would be quite normal to react to this discourse by thinking that Jesus was being impractical, super-spiritual and unrealistic. How could He expect us not to worry about life’s most basic necessities? But He was actually giving us instructions for how to receive those necessities and also how to succeed in life at the same time. We will pick this passage apart to receive as much instruction from it as possible.

First, Jesus puts this theme into a godly perspective, namely in the context of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, which is the single-most important relationship that we have, more important than our relationship with our spouse or children. Three times, Jesus puts these instructions in the context of our relationship with God our Father. He says, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” And, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field”, And “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things”. So, this topic directly affects our relationship with God our Father. This is not something that we should brush-off lightly, but we should pay close attention and think about what He said. Jesus teaches that if we worry about what we can eat, drink and wear, then we will not receive because we are hitting directly at our relationship with God as our Father. Jesus is not being mysterious; He is being instructive. He is not just telling us not to worry. He is revealing the key to receiving what we need, or not. He said that your heavenly Father knows that you need these things (6:32). so don’t worry about it.

Jesus also puts this discourse in the same level of priority as our need to eat, drink and wear clothes. Jesus says don’t worry about your life and all these things. Jesus is telling us that worry is the key to receiving. He attacks worry head-on when He says, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matt. 6:27) Very practical. All of us would like to change something about our bodies, but cannot. Really, so why worry? Worrying is a total waste of time. It is actually counter-productive. It is the opposite and enemy of faith.

Jesus is also helping us live life. He said, “Likewise, “do not worry 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?” (Matt. 6:25) He tells us to focus on life. Worrying is not living. He came that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) This is a means to that end.

Let’s consider some other ramifications of worrying. When we meet someone, how do we immediately judge them? We immediately judge them by their appearance and behavior. We immediately observe their mannerisms, personality, temperament, mood, demeanor, posture, contentment or lack thereof, strengths, weaknesses, and security or anxiety. All of the traits that we perceive as negative can be traced back to worry. These traits are not difficult to identify. As a result, people are either attractive or not, impressive or not, and likable or not, depending in a large part upon their level of worry. We would do well to apply this analysis to ourselves and adjust our behavior accordingly. Much of our success in life depends upon this basic self-awareness and ability to adjust. And so much the better if we also receive our needs.

One of the most important relationships that we have is our relationship with ourselves. Some call it self-image or self-esteem. We cannot escape it and it affects every relationship with others and everything we do. If this relationship is not secure, we are unsettled with our circumstances and usually have no peace. The principal enemy of peace, contentment and security is worry. You cannot go through life unhappy and discontent with the way you are and what you have. The Sermon on the Mount is 111 verses long and 10 or them are about worry. Without worry, we are infinitely better in so many ways, more attractive, more impressive, more desirable and thus more successful in every way. We also would avoid destructive behavior.

Then, Jesus provides the alternative. Instead of worrying, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. What is the kingdom of God? It is not theology, doctrine, laws or rules. In fact, Paul said that the kingdom of God is not religious rules, but “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17), so that is what we need to do instead of worrying. We seek those things. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

 “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all those things will be added unto you”. (Matt. 6:33 No matter what, Jesus always draws us back to what is really important, our trust in God. An indispensable part of trust is not to worry. “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34) Our carnal nature wants to secure everything that we will need right up to the end of our days. Jesus said that you can’t do that. Take life a day at a time. Don’t worry. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is our alternative to worrying. And if you do that, then you will receive. Don’t do that and you will not receive, at least not supernaturally. You will also continue to appear insecure, unstable, moody, unpleasant and unattractive to others. All of that goes along with worrying.

Jesus’ remedy does sound just like Jesus, doesn’t it? Replace worrying with seeking righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Nothing and no one can stop you.