Above All Else

In Australia they use an expression that I love: “No worries, mate!”

I think that phrase nicely sums up the point Jesus was making in Matthew 6 when He said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” (verse 25 NLT).

When we worry, essentially, we’re not trusting God. Worry is a lack of trust in Him. In fact, the word worry originates from a term that means “to strangle.” And that’s exactly what worry does to us. It strangles us. It chokes us. Worry is interest that we pay on troubles before they’re due.

It comes down to this: We need to trust in the providence of God. The providence of God, or the sovereignty of God, simply means that God is in control of our lives as followers of Jesus.

You may not understand why you’re dealing with a hardship right now. But God has allowed it for some reason. Nothing touches us that has not first passed through God’s loving hands. He’s in control.

So instead of worrying, let’s put God first in our lives. Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

The word seek speaks of persistence. Let’s say that you dropped a $100 bill on the ground, and a little breeze picked it up. Would you go looking for it? Of course you would. And what is the kingdom of God? It’s the rule and reign of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Above everything else, we want to give God the number one position in our lives. And when we put God and his kingdom first, life will find its proper balance.