Hakuna Matata on Steroids // Matthew 6:19-34

Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Do Not Worry
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


Footnotes:Matthew 6:27 Or single cubit to his height

Stuff that stood out:

*** 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.: I usually have approached this first section (v. 19-24) as simply a challenge to not be so focused on the material, on "stuff". And that is certainly something I need to remember. But is there something bigger, something connected to the next part (dealing more with "worry")? Absolutely. As I read this morning, I started pondering how the material things in life, whether tangible or more abstract, cause me to have worry. Because the more you "have", the more you have to take care of, right? And what about the temptation to keep up with the Joneses, or be "relevant"? Can that cause me unwanted (or un-needed) worry? You betcha. My allegiances thus get split between God and...my stuff that I have to worry about. Oh sure, I need to be grateful for what I've been blessed with and treat it with respect and as a good steward...but it's when I start spending more time with these temporal things (and thus taking time away from the eternal) that it can get out-of-whack. I need to seek often to have these areas exposed to me...and ask God for re-focus.

*** 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...; 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?: Worry is such a strong and potentially paralyzing emotion. I tend to think of myself who doesn't worry, but I know I do. Now, I may not let it consume me like it does some, but I would be lying if I said I never worry. I worry about how I am raising Jax. I worry if I am a good enough husband. I worry if I am doing enough for the kids in the youth group. I worry about money. I worry that one day I will "jump the shark" and say or do some unfiltered, irresponsible thing and alienate a friend or employer. I worry about whether people trust me or not. I worry about my health. I worry about my family's future in general.

So yeah, I worry.

But what tends to keep me from being consumed and neutered by it? See below...

*** 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.: This is where its' at. Seeking the Lord FIRST, and in ALL THINGS, at ALL TIMES. It is tough to do, as you have to Want it with a capital "W". This concept I use of "want" vs. "Want" can apply to so many things, but when it applies to our relationship with Christ, it can change everything. When I say I want something (lower-case "w"), oh sure, I may like the idea or concept of, say, seeking Him first and his righteousness, but I may only really do it in times of convenience, or only in times when I am at the end of my rope, or when it feels good, etc. But I won't move mountains in life to truly do it. To me, Wanting something (upper-cased "W") involves doing whatever it takes to achieve it. So, Wanting to seek Christ first, seek his perfect ways, etc., involved choices. Sacrifices. Probably looking foolish to some folks. And also in that? Not being a slave to worry! I mean, think about it: What so often keeps people claiming the name "Christian" stuck in just wanting to be true disciples as opposed to Wanting to be disciples? WORRY. Worrying about offending others around them. Worrying about possibly losing a job as a result. Worrying about losing the favor of a coach. Worrying about having to give up some fun sin. Worrying about being truly different in light of following Jesus. Worrying about losing some "freedom" in the quest for Freedom. Worrying that you may have to break off a relationship to truly follow Jesus (a non-married one, of course...).

So I think ultimately worry can play into how much we Want to surrender to Christ vs. if we just want to... And too often, we simply just don't Want to...

Questions for me today:

Where is my treasure? How do I see my true "heart" reflecting my treasure, priorities, wants, etc.?

Where am I letting worry consume me and hinder my walk with Christ?

Do I really Want to seek God in all things...or do I just want to? What would it look like in my life to switch to Wanting instead of just wanting?