WHY DO YOU WORRY? (Part 3)

Dearly Beloved, WHY DO YOU WORRY? (Part 3) “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). Part 1 of this message emphasized from Jesus Christ’s teaching that we should not worry because we were not the creator of ourselves, and we cannot add a day to our life’s span. Part 2 buttressed the admonition of Jesus Christ against worry with the use of natural things as illustrations and concluded with the fact that one does not need to worry because if God can be providing for these lesser creatures, He will provide for human beings that He created in His image. In this concluding part, Jesus Christ gave what is needful that everyone should care about instead of worrying about earthly things: seeking the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness. Apostle Paul put it in another words: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV). The kingdom of heaven is another form of the kingdom of God. Chiefly, to seek the kingdom of heaven means to seek the salvation that is fundamental to it because it is of greater value than all the world’s possessions. This does not mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives. For the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward these basic needs of life. If a Christian is taking care of God’s business as a priority by seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others, then God will take care of that person’s needs as He promised (see Philippians 4:19). There is then no need to worry if that is the arrangement. This is in contrast with the people of the world that centre their lives on things of this world. They do not know God, and they cannot please Him. Their priority is how to please themselves. So, they worry about what God should ordinarily provide for them. No wonder, Jesus Christ said that after seeking the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness that the things of the world that the Christian does not care about will be added unto him. It then means that we worry about are additional things that God intends to give us after we have focused our attention on Him and chose to please Him. Most of our worries come out of our misplaced and/or out-of-place priorities. You will worry less of the earthly things if your main priority in life is to please God and promote the cause of His kingdom on earth. You will indeed gain more spiritual insight and greater trust in God’s plans when you put the things of God first. Why do you worry? In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Pray for the enablement to always seek the things of God while you are on earth. NB If you missed any part of this message, or you want the whole message, send a request to me by email at spiritualdigest@yahoo.com. Thanks.