(Matthew 6:25-32) "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than rainment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Fahter feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one unto his stature? And why take ye thought for rainment? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have ned of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." When you read a passage of scripture, it's always imperative that you properly know how to divide the word of God and interpret it in its proper context. You must compare verses of scripture with other verses of scripture. It's imperative when one reads what Jesus had to say about taking no thought on what you shall eat, drink, etc. you must understand what Jesus is saying.
Some people, if they don't place this scripture in its proper context will think that Jesus is saying that all you have to do is just sit on your back porch and God will provide for all your physical needs. God doesn't give us an excuse to sit on our stool of do nothing and not labor. God's not the author of laziness. You can't sit down and expect God to rain manna from heaven towards your direction if you're slothful. When you read scripture, it says that we are to labor for our daily provision. The Apostle Paul even said in one of the epistles that if we won't work, we shouldn't eat. Proverbs 6:6-10 gives an example of the ant to the sluggard. "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou arise out of they sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and they want as an armed man."
It's plainly evident when you read various passages of scripture that God doesn't sanction laziness. However, what does God mean when he says we shouldn't take no thought on tomorrow on what we should, eat, drink, and wear? You would think Jesus was being contradictory when he made that statement when you consider what the other passages of scripture have to say about working for your daily provision. The Lord was dealing with the issue of priorities in a Christian's life. The Lord was saying that what we shouldn't spend our time wondering where our daily provision is coming from. That's the point the Lord was making. He was saying that God will take care of his children. There's one scripture that says that "I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread." If you're fulfilling your daily responsibilities when it comes to providing a livelihood for your family, then God will see to it that your needs are met. That's the point Jesus is making. He says our priorities should be toward the Kingdom of God, not the daily necessities of life. It's nautral humanly speaking for us to allow our minds to worry about those things when you're out of a job and you seemingly can't find the job you need to provide a living. Those things do concern us for no other reason because we're human as well as the responsibility that's placed upon us to work for our living. Sometimes the economy will turn sour and unemployment rates will be high. There are times it's hard to find opportunity for work. God will provide as long as we are faithful in trying to either work or look for work. God knows the intents of our hearts.
Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Jesus says our thoughts should first be towards seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Then he says all the things we need in life shall be added unto us. It's an issue of priorities. The Kingdom of God should always be our first priority. There's nothing more important than seeking the Lord and serving him. That's the point that has to be made. If we will serve the Lord and make him our first priority, everything will fall into place.
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