Therefore...

"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?” - Matthew 6:25 ESV

As I read this verse, I remember a Bible study tip my pastor gave me years ago. What’s the “therefore” there for? What Jesus says in this verse connects with what He said before this. “Therefore” tells me that what Jesus just said is the reason I should not be anxious about my life.

So, what did He say just before this?

Last week, we looked at where our treasure should be and how our treasure affects our hearts and motives. Jesus added the example of what we look at, or focus on, to drive that point home (Matthw 6:21-23). Then He says:

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” - Matthew 6:24 ESV

This nicely sums up His teaching in this chapter on living for God and not for men. But what does that have to do with not being anxious about my life?

Well, I think that anxiety about food or clothing or possessions can show that I am trying to serve two masters, God and myself. I might say I love God and trust Him, but my worry shows my hypocrisy. I’m more concerned about what might happen to me than I am with serving Him. I used to really struggle with this, and it could feel like a tug-of-war with myself. Fortunately, Jesus goes on to teach us how to put that worry and anxiety to rest. We’ll dig into the rest of Matthew 6 next week to find Jesus’ answer to this problem. Stay tuned.

Think About: Are you trying to serve two masters?