"Put God's work first and do what He wants..." - Matthew 6:31-34 CEV

Many people are called to the ministry of serving the Father, and there are so many distractions which can derail that call, like how will I pay for my home, how will I pay for my food, and on the list goes.  Jesus makes a valid point here in these passages that “…the Father knows that you have need of these,” so then why do we worry?  Is it a matter of lack of faith, or just fear of the unknown?  

I know in my case it is both. 

I love the Father to such a degree that I trust Him with my life, but in practical terms what does that look like?  If I were to serve my calling would I need to surrender my career for something else, and would that support my family’s daily needs?  Or should I just keep on with my career and ask the Father to open other opportunities?  
These are difficult decisions to make, and each decision has far-reaching consequences.  I have faced these questions before early in my marriage and have defaulted to providing for my family which seemed the best option at the time and put my calling on hold.  Since then the Father has opened up other avenues of service which I never anticipated like this blog which I am writing today, and a desire to start home churches.

The purpose of today's writing is not to burden you with my decisions, but to state what the common struggles are amongst believers and to tackle those tough questions which need to be discussed and acted upon. 

Jesus is making a statement here that we are not to worry or concern ourselves with our daily needs, in fact, he compares this type of worry to those who are “heathen”.  
An interesting definition of the word “heathen” reveals that this word is a description of  “those who live in open country” or "those from the heath" (heath was originally described as uncultivated land)  as opposed to those who live in the city, generally referring to the poor and needy.  Newer translations of the bible have changed this word to depict a non-believer instead of a “heathen” country dweller.  But the point is taken here, when we are without resource to sustain our livelihood, we can become desperate and fearful.  Much like the homeless who occupy our cities and rural areas today, people who are just trying to survive with shelter and food day after day.

It is tough not to worry about these necessities when we have the obvious examples of the homeless population at the highest it has ever been in our region.  This is a genuine concern and it affects how we interpret this passage of scripture for ourselves.  Jesus, however, doesn’t leave us any wiggle room to escape putting our complete confidence in the Father’s provision here. 

Jesus tells us to “put God’s work first and do what He wants, then all the other things will be yours”,  in context the other things in this passage would be housing, food, clothes, etc.  It also raises the question of what does the Father give us in the form of work to participate in this process of His provision?  Mostly, is it no more than just exercising our faith and trusting Him.

I have heard of many testimonies of ministries, families, and individuals who have trusted God and have been met with a supernatural provision which even defies logic, where God has met their need with abundance and sustained His children.  

So then why worry? 

The word "worry" has a unique etymology, it comes from the Old English word “wyrgan” which means to ‘strangle’, worry literally means “seize by the throat and tear”, this is the effect of worry upon a person who does not put their trust in the Father’s provision.

My hope in sharing this topic is that I can put into words what is going on in my own heart, and gain complete confidence in the Father's provision, and at the same time give definition to what it means for others that we may all put our full confidence in the Father and trust that He will always meet our need, no matter what our calling.  

If we are called to be a father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, minister, servant, or anything that requires our complete allegiance to Jesus Christ, He will sustain us and be our provider as long as we put His Kingdom first and receive His righteousness in our lives, we will be provided for.

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett