WE CAN TURN THIS ASPECT INTO SOMETHING USEFUL
Even though we are told by our Saviour not to worry of be fearful, we seem to still do it. It seems like this is a natural human tendency. I myself can be worried and concerned about so many things. As a young person I would arrive at home at night and lock the house. I would then go to my parents room and chat to them about what I had done in the evening and how I had enjoyed being out with my friends. Then we would say goodnight and my Mom would ask me if I had locked up when I came in. I was always a conscientious person and I always made sure I did what needed to be done. But her question would make to wonder if I had in fact locked up the house. I would respond and say: ‘yes, but I will go and check again’. My father would respond and say: ‘well either you did lock up or you didn’t?’ I would confirm that I did in fact lock up and then he would say: ‘Well then it is locked. Don’t doubt yourself. Now go to bed!’ Our natural tendency seems to be our propensity to doubt, fear, worry and second-guessing situations that we may be aware of. Some people seem ‘happy-go-lucky’ without a fear in the world, while others seem to take things very seriously and they can get upset quickly over nothing. Perhaps this is something that God has placed within us that if it is directed in the right direction can benefit our lives. If we allow it to have sway over our lives, it can destroy and spoil what God intended for us to enjoy. How can we redirect this common human characteristic into something useful? In this scripture God gives us a strategy to take this, otherwise worrisome aspect, and to turn it into something useful and beneficial. These deep concerns and powerful emotions can be redirected towards something that God can use in our lives and in the world in which we live.
SEEKING HIS KINGDOM
When we face the onslaught of fear and worry and concern, we should convert all this emotion and negative energy into something else. The ‘something else’ that Jesus recommends is that we would plow all of this into something completely different and that is seeking His kingdom first.
Matthew 6:33 ‘But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’
The key word here is the word ‘but’! But there is an alternation, but there is a better way that Jesus wants us to take hold of. The first aspect would be to know His kingdom as a personal reality in our own lives.
Matthew 16:19 ‘I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’
He wants to give us the keys to discovering this wonderful aspect that God desires would be a reality in our lives. The picture here is of a house or perhaps a palace that needs to be opened and unlocked. We would never give our house keys to someone we don’t trust. But God trusts you and He wants to give you the keys to get the access you need. He wants to authorize you to step out of the world of doubt, worry and fear and to step into the realm of His presence and His kingdom. This sets us up to be able to enjoy the benefits that He and His kingdom bring in our lives. With His kingdom comes peace and joy. If He is the King in your life and you have submitted yourself to the King and His Kingdom, then you can enjoy and participate in the benefits. The outflow of this is that we would become agents for the expansion of His Kingdom. This means that we would live our lives in such a way that just by the way we live our lives His Kingdom would grow and be expanded. That we would be consumed with telling others about Him and helping them to experience His Kingdom in their own lives. That every waking moment would be used for this purpose and that all the time and energy given to worry and fear would be redirected to achieving His plans and purposes, His Kingdom.
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