The Provision of God in the New Year.

Our theme for the year will be "Doing Divine Things Together."

The book of Matthew has 5 discourses and 5 narrative sections presenting Christ as the King. Our passage today is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which is not new information. As one author described, "It is the wisdom of God inviting all of us through faith to orient our vision, values, and habits from the ways of external righteousness to wholeheartedness towards God. Jesus' method of teaching uses thematic structures, images, and poetic language to allow His listeners more simple ways to remember, meditate on, and memorize Christ's heart on how to live every day."

Matthew 6:25-34 addresses two kinds of seekers. The first is "Gentiles," who in this context are those who don't have a relationship with Christ yet. They are self-consumed with the procurement of food, clothing, and shelter (verse 32). The other is people of faith, who are governed by God to seek a different set of values (verse 33). They understand the priority of spiritual virtues.

Everyone needs food, clothing, and shelter; but some people have a higher purpose to live for. The key question to ask is this: Who is in control, God or you? Matthew 6:16-24 gives many aspects of being governed by God.

Worship

First is our personal worship. We need to be alone with God daily. Before we look to be ministered to by others, we need to engage in self-ministry through God's Word and prayer. People who do this live for the unseen instead of what is temporal (Matthew 6:19-21, 2 Corinthians 4:18).

Is God's Kingdom and righteousness your priority or an attachment to your life? All the things we have are for the purposes of worship, evangelism, and discipleship. These are the same as the purposes of the church. Those who claim to love Jesus should also love His bride, the church. If you are unconsumed, you will pass on the world's values to your children.

If we prioritize Christ's purposes, we should plan our schedule accordingly (James 4:13-17). It should affect how we approach big decisions and who we ask for advice. We can tell a lot about what we are seeking if we look at what dominates our time. If we are seeking Christ's mission, we will be governed by His righteousness, not anxiety.

Application Points

• Who is in control of your life, God or you? What are you seeking? What consumes your time?

• Is God's Kingdom and righteousness your priority or an attachment to your own agenda? Do you love the church, Christ's bride, or are you unconsumed by God's people and their mission? How does this affect planning your schedule?

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore

• Colossians 3:2, 1 Peter 5:6-7, 1 Peter 4:19 – Living for God's purposes.