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Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  - Matthew 6:31-34

The song, "Material Girl" was recorded in 1984 by Madonna and in a way, it embodies what a person of this world is living for. What does it mean for me to pursue material things? It means I am putting myself first. It means I only have this one life to live and I should live it to it’s fullest. It means I should focus on the things that make me happy and the things that give me power and luxury and influence now.

Does this sound familiar? We do after all, live in a material world. A reminder of what this material world has to offer is looming in the upcoming holiday season. There are so many commercials and advertisements for the newest and greatest thing that will make my life more fun and more fulfilled. It’s easy to get distracted by the new, and shiny. In all these advertisements I wonder why they never say, “it will break on its third use” or “this car will rust in a year” or “ the cost of this toy will take months of saving and your child will only use it twice”. It’s because if life is all about material thats all we have.

The problem is that these material possessions, as previously mentioned in Matthew, is that they can be stolen or rust and be destroyed (v.19). The material world is neither fulfilling nor rewarding, and most of the time it doesn’t last very long.

In this week's sermon and in this passage worrying about things that we don’t need to be worried about is an indicator of where our God is. In my own life that needs to be a constant reminder not only because God’s word says to seek the kingdom of God first, but also  because the material world has nothing to offer compared to what God has for his people.

I could always use more reminders and Mike gave four things you won’t do and four things you will do if you are seeking the kingdom first. 

4 Things You Won’t Do 

  1. You won’t lay up treasures in this life. 
  2. You won’t serve money. 
  3. You won’t worry about tomorrow. 
  4. You won’t seek your own needs first. 

4 Things You Will Do 

  1. You will lay up treasures in heaven. 
  2. You will look to Jesus Christ by faith. 
  3. You will seek first the kingdom of God. 
  4. You will live day by day in dependance of God.

We can use these lists as a diagnostic tool for our lives. Take some time this week to examine what you are pursuing. If we are seeking God and his kingdom first we know that we will be laying up treasures in heaven that neither moth nor rust can destroy. We also know that the result of doing what God commands is peace, and that is a wonderful place to be.