But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
Brethren,
Grace and peace be to you from our God and Father and our Savior Christ Jesus. Easter is Sunday, April 20.
As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s resurrection to our redemption, let us commit to consecrate ourselves to the kingdom focused living described in Christ's Sermon on the Mount. In particular, if we will apply Matthew 6:24-34, we can quell the all-encompassing anxiety over life’s daily necessities that is fueled by the ever-elusive American Dream and achieve such a consecration.
Our victory over anxiety begins when we understand that to consume ourselves with the necessities of life is to lack trust in God’s providential care and to turn a blind eye to nature’s testimony of His splendid sufficiency. Our victory continues when we understand that to consume ourselves with the necessities of life is vain for by doing so we cannot extend life nor improve upon its quality. Our victory continues still when we understand that to consume ourselves with the necessities of life is to misappropriate God-given time, energy, and resources.
So let the Holy Spirit manifest this victory in us now by entrusting ourselves to God’s care in which all self-sufficiency is removed and we find our identity and security in Christ instead of our self-achieved earthly status. Let us also tithe our time, energy, and resources for kingdom good first that the Lord may bless us according to His promise.
