THE MAIN IDEA
Followers of Christ don’t need to worry when we follow Christ.

THE WORLD IS DRIVEN BY SELFISHNESS AND GREED
In our passage, Jesus is following up on The Parable of the Rich Fool (verses 13-21) that He had just shared with His disciples. In that parable, a farmer has a great harvest, and instead of sharing the wealth that God had given to him, he decides to use it all for himself. And the point of the parable is that life does not consist in an abundance of possessions (verse 15). And Jesus elaborates on that point in our passage, saying that His disciples should not be driven by selfishness and greed like the rich fool. Jesus’s disciples are called to act differently from the rest of the world in order to glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16), even if doing so might cause some nonbelievers to dislike us (John 17:14).

GOD WILL PROVIDE WHATEVER WE NEED
In a world that is driven by selfishness and greed, there are many things that will cause us to worry. Selfishness and greed feed upon themselves in a vicious cycle, and that vicious cycle generates anxiety and worry. And the only way to stop that vicious cycle is just to stop being selfish and greedy. Or maybe the place to start is just to stop worrying. But how do we stop worrying in a world driven by selfishness and greed? Through faith in God. Because where there is faith in God, there is no reason for worry, and there is no reason to be driven by selfishness and greed; because God will provide whatever we need. That is the heart of Jesus’s argument. God feeds the birds in the sky and clothes the flowers in the field, and so God will certainly provide for us, because He cares much more for us. And besides, worrying cannot add even a second to our lives, but excessive worry may shorten our lives. But when does worry become excessive? When it becomes irrational, when it keeps us from focusing on reality and thinking clearly, as with the rich fool. Our heavenly Father knows that we need. And if our good Father knows what we need, we should have faith that our good Father will provide whatever we need. That is being rational. That is focusing on reality. That is thinking clearly.

SEEK GOD’s KINGDOM AND LET CHRIST LEAD
If we are followers of Jesus Christ, we should let Christ lead our lives. If we do not let Christ lead our lives, then we will not seek God’s kingdom, but Jesus’s exhortation to seek God’s kingdom is clear (verse 31). Nor should we be afraid that God will withhold His kingdom when we seek His kingdom (verse 32). If we let Christ lead and put away all fear and anxiety and seek the kingdom of God, the resources of the God’s kingdom will be at our disposal according to God’s good pleasure. But Jesus is not telling us to sell our possessions and give to the poor to the point of being poor ourselves. The point is to stop chasing after wealth as if money and an abundance of possessions are the greatest satisfaction of our lives and the solution to every problem. Because if wealth and possessions are where our heart is, then our treasure will not be in the things of God and His kingdom. Our heart and treasure will not be in Christ, but in the things of this broken mess of a world. And it’s not that we should give to the poor for the sake of earning heavenly treasure, but simply to serve Christ. Because we are followers of Jesus Christ, and Christ is our heavenly treasure. And so we let Christ lead.

DISCUSSION QUESTION
Have you ever acquired something that you really wanted, but it didn’t live up to your expectations? Explain.