Choose the Right Objective
Jesus's Fourth Instruction for Overcoming the Daily Evil
4. Choose the Right Objective
“So don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘What will we wear?’ (32)—for the Gentiles seek all these things. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God (word of God), and his righteousness (show, revelation); and all these things will be added to you as well. (34) Therefore, do not be distracted by anxious thoughts about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself; sufficient to each day is its own evil.”
—(Matthew 6:31–34 DKJV, parentheses added)
In his first sentence here, Jesus summarizes the type of deceptive thoughts with which mammon tries to distract us daily; they are about provision—especially food and clothing. He goes on to say that the “Gentiles seek all these things.” But he also says that if we have God’s kingdom and his righteousness as our priority objective, we won’t have to.
Father’s Loving Foresight
To expose the enemy’s deception (that we need to provide for ourselves) Jesus says, “Your heavenly Father knows you need all these things.” We have a dad who knows every intimate detail of what we need; he is not only obligated to provide for the family he created, but wants to do it with overflowing love and abundant generosity. In truth, our Father knows more about our needs than we do:
(Matthew 6:8 DKJV) “… Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
If you have received Jesus’s new birth, God is your Father—your very own spiritual dad. Jesus goes as far as to say that this reality is so profound that we should no longer refer to anyone else as our father:
(Matthew 23:9 ISV) “And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father, the one in heaven.”
The True Father Son Relationship
Many of us struggle to grasp the true father heart of God because some of our own earthly fathers have been a very poor example for us; they have been selfish and immature. A few have even been proud, defensive, arrogant, manipulative, abusive, and/or fearful. However, God is not like that. So how do we come to an understanding of God’s true fathering heart? For insight into this, I have found looking at the relationship and interaction between Jesus and his heavenly Father to be very helpful. They are the perfect father-son role models.
Jesus’s Father protected and provided for him from birth. We see this especially in the provision of a loving earthly mother and a caring foster dad, Joseph. We can also see it in the provision of gold, frankincense, and myrrh brought by the wise men from the east. Their thoughtful gifts resourced Joseph’s family for their asylum in Egypt during the murderous reign of King Herod—the one who sought Jesus’s life.
Later, when Jesus was an adult, his Father spoke positive affirmation into his life when he said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17 KJV), and, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I have found delight” (Mark 1:11 EMTV).
Jesus’s heavenly Father continued to protect, love, and provide for him until he willingly laid his life down as an obedient son:
(Matthew 26:53–54 CSB) “Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels? (54) How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
Father God sent Jesus to earth on a mission for him, but he provided, protected, expressed love to, and guided him through it all.
The way Jesus interacted with his Father is also very helpful in understanding the true father-son relationship:
(John 5:19–20 NKJV) Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (20) For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.”
Jesus was completely confident in his Father’s love for him and vice versa. They expressed this in an intimate relationship of openness and disclosure. Jesus said, “The Father loves the Son, and shows him …” Jesus and his Father were so close relationally that they had no secrets; Father showed his son the intimate details of his dream and intention. Jesus pressed in to hear this, and to understand it until he could visualize it happening. Then as a loving son, he imitated what he saw and repeated what he heard. The Apostle Paul urges us to do the same:
(Ephesians 5:1 NKJV) Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.
We could summarize the divine Father-Son relationship like this: God the Father sent Jesus on a mission for him—to represent him in every way. While on this mission, the Father provided for him, protected him, expected the best of him, expressed love to him, and guided him minute by minute as needed. Jesus lovingly and humbly fulfilled his Father’s will by imitating and humbly obeying him—even to the point of laying his life down at his Father’s request:
(Philippians 2:6–8 CSB) who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. (7) Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, ( he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death -- even to death on a cross.
(Matthew 26:39 NLT) He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Today, I encourage you to put God and his kingdom first. Be like Jesus, imitate and serve your heavenly Father and his dream. Laying down your self-life will be necessary to fulfil Father’s dream and his assignment for you. But thankfully, as you do, you will not have to worry about provision; God will provide for you. Just as he provided the right people for Jesus and abundant resource in advance of their exile to Egypt, he will provide for you … without you needing to worry for one second. God is good; he loves you; and when you give up your independent self-life to serve his dream, his grateful goodness will be abundant in your life.