Read Matthew 6:25-33
In verse 33, Jesus essentially told His disciples that anxiety is a misplaced focus on the temporal, on what they will eat, drink, and wear. This is the focus of the unsaved, Jesus said. But it should not be the focus of God’s redeemed children.
Jesus instructed His disciples, and us today, to instead recalibrate our focus from the earthly to the eternal, to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
We understand from the last devotion (Faith: The Antidote to Anxiety) that God will take care of our necessities, as our good and gracious Provider, which eliminates the need for us to worry. This release from worry then gives us the time and spiritual energy to focus on what truly matters: our worship of God, our walk with Jesus, and our witness to the lost.
These are of utmost importance to God and should be to us too. And when we are about God’s Kingdom business, Jesus said, “All these things [our basic needs] will be added to you.” God will take care of everything so that we can, like the apostles after Jesus’ death and resurrection, fulfill God’s will and purposes on this earth, just as Jesus taught, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
How can we begin to shift our focus in a world that constantly throws temporal temptations and anxieties at us? By asking the Holy Spirit to start opening our eyes to seeing the greater needs of others in this world and then seeking out opportunities to help meet them. By spending quality time in praise of God’s glory, goodness, and majesty. And by prioritizing God’s Word and prayer in our daily lives.
Let today be the day you recalibrate your focus, for God's glory and your good!
Be encouraged. Be blessed.