Heritage Lutheran Church


 

August 2010

HERITAGE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Highlights

First Things First 

[Jesus said] “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’  or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:31-34)

Do you worry?  If so, what sorts of things do you worry about?  Your children?  Your health?  Your finances?  Your job?  The world and its problems?  There’s plenty we can find about which we can, and do, worry.  But what does our worrying reveal about us?  Does is reveal how desperately we want security each day of our life?  Does it reveal how desperately we want to be in control of our life?  Does it reveal our tendency to place ourselves ahead of God?  Does it reveal how often we need to be reminded of the character and the promises of God?

Perhaps we can answer “yes” to all of those questions.  Yes, we long for more security and control in this life, and yet it seems to be so elusive, so “just beyond our reach.”  In the face of this worrisome predicament we have been blessed by God who gives us His precious and powerful Word which is filled with His promises as well as His assurance that He is able to keep each and every one of them.

Jesus reminds us of these promises in this text from Matthew 6.  He reminds us that we need not waste God-given time and energy worrying about what we’ll eat, drink, and wear.  “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  By the grace of God and by His grace alone, we have been led to believe in a God who knows each and every  one of our needs.  And just as He is capable of feeding the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26) and clothing the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:30), so is He capable of caring completely for us.  This is the God who has graciously revealed His promises and His character to us in His Word.

So He calls us to replace our worrying with seeking — “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)  Where do we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and, where do we find it?  In His Word—the Bible.  In our Baptism.  In the Lord’s Supper.  In these God-given means we receive the grace of God that assures us again and again that God is faithful.  He will always be true to His promises and care for us throughout this earthly life.  Most important, however, is that He is faithful to His promise of caring for us for eternal life, for His kingdom and His righteousness are ours now through Jesus Christ our Savior!

So, in the words of Jesus, “do not worry,”  It’s a fruitless endeavor.  In Jesus we are freed from worry.  In Jesus we have everlasting security and peace.  In Jesus we see God, our Father, fulfilling the great promise He made in Romans 8:32 — “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  Let’s gather regularly around God’s Word to be reminded of His great promises and His gracious and loving character.  As we do, He will enable us to keep first things first — seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Your Servant,

Pastor O.