See the full rendition of our scripture text:

If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG)

If you understand the Lord’s communication to us here, you will “be not so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving.”  Our Father’s nature is to give to His children who ask, who knock and who seek – those things they NEED.

Furthermore, when we take on the things we should not, we spread ourselves so thin that we’re exposed to fear and doubt, to the weariness and impatience that makes our tempers wear thin, robbing ourselves of peace of mind. You lose your song when you add the unnecessary pressure of maintaining your exterior image or trying to fix everybody or live up to their expectations.

Finally, we must not fail to understand the difference between the secular and the sacred. Either Jesus is Lord over every area of your life or He is not Lord over any of it (Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV). Food for thought, isn’t it? Selah.


Pastor Afolabi Oladele