“And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Luke 12:29–31, NIV84)

We tend to focus on what our eyes can see as the most important things in life. We see our job, home, bank account, 401K, health and family as the most important things, and hence, they are where all our time and effort are spent. Jesus is telling us that we (like the pagans) spend too much of our time on such things, and it shouldn’t be the case. The pagans might do this because they don’t believe in God’s providence for their lives. But we believe in God’s goodness and grace. We believe in His divine providence over all things. So Jesus tells us that we should not worry so much about the things that God has complete control of and is happy to supply us. Jesus tells us that the “Father knows that we need them.” We need to completely trust in His providence and not worry about earthly provisions.

Jesus also tells us that we should instead focus our attention on the kingdom of God. He tells us to “seek His kingdom” and all the other worries will take care of themselves via God’s gracious providing hand. How much time are we really spending on seeking God’s kingdom? Are we spending time and energy to ensure that we are members of God’s eternal kingdom? Are we in God’s Word daily? Are we communicating with Him through prayer? Are we spending time with fellow Christians so that we might be encouraged in our walk? Are we reaching out to the world around us with the message of the kingdom of God? We need to honestly evaluate our priorities. Jesus is telling us that our major focus should be on His kingdom. We need to trust His Word that while we focus on His kingdom, He will work to meet our earthly needs.

Today, let’s be seekers of the kingdom of God!

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church