Antidote to Anxiety

Nov. 15

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

Antidote to Anxiety

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Jesus, v.33“

The Kingdom of God is what we must be seeking first and foremost in our lives as Christ followers. This is the antidote to anxiety and chaos in this world: the realization that when we “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” all the other things we need and worry about are “added to” us… provided for us. Seek first the Kingdom.

There is no shortage of things in this world one may become anxious or worrisome about. This has always been the case, even in Jesus’ day and age. The things that we become anxious about often times boil down to very REAL, TANGIBLE, and LEGITIMATE needs in our lives:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (v.25)

Jesus does not treat these things as inconsequential. What Jesus does is show us the way forward. The Kingdom of God is the sort of place where our needs are met while we are seeking first the Kingdom and God’s righteousness in our lives. God deals in very REAL things such as food and shelter as much as he works in the realm of the “spiritual”. This shows us how the Kingdom of God is the merging of the two realms. When we feel like the KOG is not present, we begin to be anxious about the material needs we have (food and clothing in this instance). When we “seek first the Kingdom and righteousness” these needs are met for us… we have no reason to worry.

Jesus poses an interesting question to his listeners: “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Jesus challenges our ideas (and hearts) about the origin of our most basic needs. He tells us as his children that our very LIFE is actually provided not primarily by the calories we eat (food) but by something more… THE LORD through Jesus. He reminds us that our bodies will find our ultimate “shelter” (clothes / covering) in Jesus. In Jesus… we are “covered” with not only clothes but also HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. (cf. Rom. 13:14, Gal. 3:27 etc.) In this way, “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” is truly “seek first the Kingdom and the king - Jesus (because HE is your righteousness)”.

So what does this mean for us? What happens when it all comes together? As God’s people, we must embrace the fact that the Kingdom of God is here, present, and “at hand”. This Kingdom is a place where spiritual and physical are merged together - the supernatural with the natural. The Kingdom of God is as much about meeting physical needs as it is about tending to spiritual ones. Our physical bodies and our existence stretch beyond our “food and clothing”. (cf. “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”) When our FIRST priority is seeking the KOG and his righteousness, the things we need to survive will be given to us… “added to us”. This is how Jesus rescues us from anxiety and worry. This also paints a picture for us of what it means to build the KOG. Kingdom work is BOTH spiritual and physical… it must be. Seeking the KOG and God’s righteousness means meeting these very practical needs for one another. This is “seeking first the Kingdom”. The fact that the KOG comes first in the order should tell us something about its priority.

What if the people of God began “seeking first the Kingdom”? In a terribly anxious world, how can we manifest this “good news” of the KOG? What are the things that worry you today? What would it look like to seek the kingdom and righteousness before we sought money, prestige, power, pleasure, or comfort? What if God wants to “add to us” the things we need so we are even more freed up to pursue him, his work in this world, and his son - Jesus? Are you anxious? There is no other true antidote apart from Christ. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (v.34) Love you guys! - JDP