Seeking with the Heart

Matthew 6:25-34 Seeking Rightly While on the Journey

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

25 “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? 26 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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?

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

What’s the Lesson to be learned? 3x “anxious” is used in the passage.

What rattles your being, your heart, your confidence in the day? Money, friends, food…,

The lesson to be learned is the connection point of “your Heavenly Father” and his awareness of life. At the end of v. 30 is a small phrase: “you of little faith.” “to be cumbered with many cares”, “to meditate upon”.

These are thoughts that consume one’s mind, focus. The topics stated by Jesus were true of these elements in the time of his speaking. Food, drink, clothes, were necessities of the day as Rome was the controlling entity of life. These were given even more consideration if one was going to follow a religious leader as Jesus. In such context, such thoughts would be a distraction to following and trusting. In this Jesus offers an alternative.

Liddell, Henry George, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, and Roderick McKenzie. 1996. In A Greek-English Lexicon, 1104. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Seeking the Kingdom of God, First. What are we too look for if we are seeking the Kingdom of God? Seeking is the moment of today. (Focus) Your Heavenly Father.

English Standard Version (Chapter 5) The Beatitudes 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Seeking is with the Heart, which focuses the eyes. (Mt. 5:8)

We are challenged to see our life situation differently than a one in this world. This is Kingdom talk. The Kingdom is not visible to the natural eye as much as it is with the heart. The Pure in Heart shall see God.... “Trust in the Lord with all your heart

The heart gets clouded and polluted with the desires of this life. Peter was reprimanded for not having ing mind the things of God when he attempted to stop Christ from going to the cross. John wrote to his churches, (1 john 2:16) “16 For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever. … Scriptures of the Old Testament tell us to guard the heart:

Why is guard duty on our hearts so important? Because the heart directs us in all we do, if we are not alert in this culture, where temptation, distraction, and ungodly ideas bombard us constantly, it can lead us to sin and on to all of its terrible consequences. In effect, guarding our hearts is where our conversion begins and ends. If with God's help we can control our heart, we are well on the path toward righteousness and godliness.

The heart will justify hatred, prejudice, lust, laziness, anger, revenge, gossip, criticism, resentment, idolatry, murder, theft, deceit, selfishness, etc.! It will soften black and white into shades of gray. It will manipulate circumstances to provide it opportunities to do what it wants. It will play games of "just this once" and "God wants me to be happy." It will patiently erode even the most resolute decision through doubts, temptations, and twisted reasoning. It is a formidable adversary, and thus must be dealt with, as the proverb says, diligently and firmly.

Our Hidden Enemy, by John O. Reid (1930-2016), Church of the Great God Weekly, September 22, 2006

…Prov. 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

The straight paths are where we walk our life journey. Recall Psalm 139:23-24

English Standard Version Psalm 139

23  Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

24  And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!