Matthew 6:25-33. 25“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? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Do you ever feel anxious? Silly question right?
As a species, we are the only ones in God’s creation that worry. We obsessively watch the news seeking a peace that will never come. We strategize for our security and safety. We plan our perfect lives. We map out goals for the day or week and then stress out when we see ourselves falling short of those goals. We buy stuff to help us feel less anxious and then worry about all the stuff we have obtained, and about how to get more stuff when this stuff stops making us feel good.
But Christ offers us a far better way to live. Like birds and flowers.
Look at the birds. The birds aren’t lazy. In fact, birds work hard every day. But they don’t worry about it. They work from faith that they will have what they need for today. No gathering into barns. No stockpiling. No hoarding. And no anxiety about their future. What if being in Christ makes us like the birds, working in carefree abandonment to God? If there’s nothing left to achieve in this life because Christ has achieved it all, each day then becomes simple worship. When there are no more ladders to climb, dreams to achieve, or trophies to win, it all becomes simple faith. Which might just reduce your anxiety.
Consider the lilies. We say things like, I don’t want to just exist, I need to make a name for myself. But no flower ever said that. They rest in who they are, existing to simply reflect the grace of their creator. What if being in Christ gives us the faith of the flowers? Faith that lets me rest in the beauty of Christ’s imputed righteousness. What if we reflect his kingdom of love by simply being? Not demanding, not striving, not stressing. Just being.
This is why seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness is the only way to avoid spiritual breakdown. Because kingdom-seeking is not a to-do list to finish, or an objective to meet. Kingdom seeking is simple faith in Christ. A Christ who is not hidden, a kingdom that is not earned but received.
To live is Christ is to seek God’s kingdom and to find it in your union with Christ. Put anything else above knowing Christ and you’ll lose it all. But place Christ and his free grace at the center of your life and all these things will be added unto you. Real living found in resting. True happiness found in contentment. And satisfaction found when we finally stop chasing our own desires and start meeting the needs of others.
You: What are you anxious about today?
You in Christ: How does being in Christ allow you to put God’s kingdom of grace ahead of your own kingdom of achievement?
Christ in you: In what ways can your life look more like the birds and flowers today?
To Live is Christ 