DRIFTING WITHOUT DIRECTION

INTRODUCTION

I’d like for you to take the Word of God with me, please, and turn to Matthew 6:24-34.

QUOTE: Famous hockey player, Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”

The concept is, if you don’t try, you won’t succeed. While we know this to be true, the majority of people are content not taking the shot.

Perhaps today, you are still struggling with the direction of your life? Still unsure of the next steps, and so are sitting, waiting, holding until you know. This is what I call drifting. The concern with this way of living is that you are still being tossed about by the winds, whether they be fierce or mild, they are moving you. It’s time we take the helm of our lives, raise the sails, and begin moving in the direction the Lord is leading.

Can I encourage you today through the Word of God that we need to stop drifting, and start directing. We need to stop holding back, and start pressing forward.

QUOTE: Zig Ziglar, a strong Christian leader and business man of the past said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

But, before we go further, we need to make sure the direction we are facing and moving the direction God wants. Both quotes I gave are great quotes, but they lack to directional guidance that Jesus gives. The greatest quote for us today is found in verse 33. Look at it again,

Matthew 6:33 KJV 1900

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Here, we find Jesus not only saying let’s move, let’s take the shots, let’s start in order to be great, but Jesus also adds a directional component. He says we are to seek God’s kingdom first. No idleness of life, active seeking, but make sure it is seeking the right things.

IF we are going to drift without direction, then it begins with…

I. FIGHT THE TENDENCY TO FOCUS ON YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS | VV. 31-32

Fighting the tendency to focus on your personal needs. Go back and reread verses 31 and 32,

Matthew 6:31–32 KJV 1900

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Beginning in verse 24, Jesus begins to help us understand that our lives really only have two directions, which are polar opposites of each other. We can be seeking after mammon, or the things of this world, or seeking after God’s kingdom. And while, many people try to find a middle ground-position, the reality is you can’t.

ILLUSTRATION: Like gravity, the pull from the mammon and the world constantly dragging you down. If you are drifting off course from seeking God’s kingdom first, you will continually be pulled down from the world.

Then, in verse 31, Jesus again repeats the phrase, “take no thought.” He ties it all together with this truth: If we focus on our personal needs, and worry about the things of this life, then we are yielding to the pull from the world.

A. GOD PROVIDES FOR YOU

Christ’s solution is to realize that God provides for you. How can Jesus tells us to not being anxious about, or worry about, or take no thought for the things we need in this life? It is because He knows God provides for us.

Jesus gave two illustrations of God’s provision. He says the birds of the air are provided for, and the flowers of the field are cared for. God has set things in motion for all of creation to be provided for.

And then we find the challenge for us in Jesus’ question in verse 26, “Are we not much better than they are?” Of course we are. Humanity is God’s special creation. You and I are not like any other creation, we are special. He breathed life into us. We are unique because God made us unique.

B. WORRY PROVES A MISPLACED PRIORITY

God provides for us, and because He does when we worry it proves a misplaced priority in our lives. We prove we don’t trust Him, but what’s worse is that we trust ourselves more than we trust God.

As Jesus continues to talk about the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, he brings it to a defining thought in verse 30, where He says, “O ye of little faith.”

Faith is action based upon knowledge. We know the truth. We know God provides for us. We understand this logically and biblically, yet when we don’t act upon it, we prove our lack of faith, and reveal that our priorities our our of whack.

C. YOUR FATHER PERCEIVES YOUR NEEDS

And so Jesus comes back to this simple truth, “Don’t worry about your needs, what you’re going to eat, or what you’re going to drink, or how you are going to be clothed.” That is the basic drive of humanity, all of these things are sought after by the Gentiles, the lost, the heathens. It is in their DNA, and it’s on ours, which is why we have to consciously fight against it.

And what’s more, our Father knows that we have these needs. Being a Christian didn’t change your DNA, but now we have a Father who watches out for us.

Make note of the terminology changes from God to Father that Jesus uses. In verses, 24, 30, and 33, it is God. But when Jesus talks about our needs, He is not merely our God, but our Father. This is relational, not just informational. The Gentiles do not have God as their Father, only God’s children do.

And like a gracious and loving Father, He knows our needs, even before we ask. Look back at verse 8 with me for a moment,

Matthew 6:8 KJV 1900

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Knowing this truth, must drive us from knowledge to action. Determine today to no longer focus on your personal needs.

II. ALIGN YOUR DAILY PRIORITIES WITH GOD | VS. 33

And to help replace the focus, Jesus guides us to the next step in verse 33. Stop focusing on your personal needs, and instead, align your daily priorities with God. Read verse 33 again,

Matthew 6:33 KJV 1900

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

“But seek ye FIRST…” There is a challenge, not only for realignment of our lives, but also the priority of our lives.

A. PURSUE THE KINGDOM FIRST

Jesus says we are to pursue the kingdom of God first. This deals with our priorities. Circle that word “first” in your Bible. God doesn’t say not to seek after our daily needs. Instead, he tells us that our priorities needs to first and foremost be that of our God.

Let’s make sure we understand, biblically, what it means to seek the kingdom of God.

1. PLACE YOURSELF UNDER HIS RULE

It first and foremost means to place yourself under God’s rule. It is His kingdom we are to seek. He is the Lord and Master of it. What He says is law and we need to follow it.

Be careful that you don’t bristle at that thought. Remember, His will and His ways are best. They produce a far greater outcome than our ways and thoughts.

Before decisions, you ask: What does God want? How does God want me to handle this situation?

Additionally, this is not just about feelings, it is about authority. By placing yourself under His rule or authority, you are submitting yourself to Him.

And then quickly note, God’s kingdom is not just internal, it is missional.

You prioritize church, not treat it as optional

You invest in people, not just possessions

You care about souls, not just success

You give, serve, and engage in what God is doing

In simplest terms, you start caring about what God is building, not just what you are building.

2. PRACTICE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

And in all you do, you practice God’s righteousness. Righteousness is a big theological word, with a simple definition. It simply means to do right according to God’s Word. Right and wrong are not difficult to determine when led by the

Seeking God’s kingdom is about surrendering to God’s rule, and His righteousness is about living out God’s standard. Or in other words, “Seeking God’s kingdom deals with the direction of your heart, and His righteousness is displayed in the decisions of your life.”

Naturally, you will know if you are seeking God’s kingdom first. You simply need to look at your life and see if it is in alignment to Him. You can say with your lips, God is your King, but if your life does not reflect His ways, then His rule is not truly first.

So, today, take a look at your life and determine if what you do and how you interact with those around you is in line with what God’s Word teaches.

B. TRUST HIS PROVISION

As you pursue God’s kingdom, He promises all the needs of this life will be added unto you. Be careful we don’t over-spiritualize this verse. Jesus didn’t say that if you go out and tell everyone you meet of Jesus for 12 hours a day, you will come home and food will magically appear, and your mortgage will be paid. God has told us to work, and to pursue life. But in that pursuit of life, our heart is aligned with His. We have a job, not to make money and pay the bills, but to make connections with people and witness to them of Jesus, and shine brightly in a dark world.

When Jesus says “all these things shall be added unto you,” He is not promising a life of abundance, He is promising a life of provision.

God is saying, “You make My kingdom your priority, and I will take responsibility for your needs.” Not your wants, not your comforts, but your needs. This is not a promise that God will give you everything you want. It is a promise that you will never lack what God knows you need.

Daily we choose not to focus on our personal needs, instead we align our priorities with God and allow Him to provide for us.

III. YIELD YOUR FUTURE NEEDS TO THE ONE WHO HOLDS TOMORROW | VS. 34

But there is one more truth we need to grasp and that is relinquishing control of tomorrow. I have it in your notes, yield your future needs to the One who holds tomorrow. Finish the chapter with me in verse 34,

Matthew 6:34 KJV 1900

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Every day there is a battle for our minds, and our priorities. Often we lose this battle when we allow our minds to worry about the issues of tomorrow. So, not only do we refuse to focus on our daily needs, but we also yield control of tomorrow to God, knowing He sees tomorrow already.

A. REFUSE TO PICKUP TOMORROW’S BURDENS

In simple terms, refuse to pickup tomorrow’s burdens. Yes, they are there. Jesus didn’t say tomorrow didn’t have burdens, He simple told us not to worry about them.

There is so much wasted and directionless life because we are so worried about what tomorrow holds. This plays out every day, and often we are unaware of it. We hear the news reports or wars and rumors of wars. We listen to the pundits tells of oil prices skyrocketing and how that is going to affect the entire supply chain, prices will rice, interest rates will go through the roof, and no one will be able to get their basic needs. And then we begin to worry. We zap today of the blessings of God because we glossed right over them to focus on something we have absolutely no control over.

QUOTE: Nazi Holocaust survivor and amazing woman, Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”

QUOTE: Dale Carnegie once said, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

And that is exactly what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 6:34. Stop living in tomorrow. Live in what God has placed in front of you today. Worry is trying to solve tomorrow’s problems without tomorrow’s grace.

B. RELY ON TODAY’S GRACE

Instead of worrying about tomorrow, we focus on those things we can control. We rely on today’s grace. Jesus says, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” In today’s vernacular, there is enough trouble on a daily basis to give us a run for our money, so focus on those things you can control, and rely upon God’s daily grace to help you overcome all the fiery darts of the wicked.

CONCLUSION

QUOTE: John Maxwell said, “The greatest gap in the world is the gap between knowing and doing.”

The issue today is not that we are unaware of what we need to do. We are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. No, my friends, the issue today is that we are aware, but are not doing. We are drifting aimlessly without direction.

Let’s stop focusing on our daily needs or desires, and instead align our hearts and lives to God’s, allowing Him to meet those needs as He has so graciously said He would do. And then, make sure not to pick up tomorrow’s burdens either.

Let’s tackle the life God has given to us with His grace and guidance. Let’s put Him on the throne and allow Him to direct our steps.