As Jesus concluded His teaching on worry, He focused on three key points: Don’t worry, seek God first, and live one day at a time.

His first emphasis was, “Do not be anxious,” or, do not worry. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing.” The point is clear: Don’t worry about anything. But we have a tendency to legitimize our worry by naming the important things we are compelled to be anxious over, like food, shelter and clothing. These are basic to life on this planet. Yet Jesus admonishes us not to worry even about these important essentials.

In verse 32, He illustrates His point by noting the habits of the Gentiles (pagans or unbelievers). They worry about the essentials, but they do not know God. When we live like unbelievers, we deny both God and His truth. D.A. Carson wrote: “Such worry on the part of God’s people constitutes some sort of denial of their profession of faith — since God is aware of our needs. Our conduct loudly advertises that we do not believe it.” Worry is the opposite of faith, and God has called His children to walk by faith.

The second point Jesus makes is to live by the right priority — God first. Verse 33 is serendipity, the process of finding some blessing as a byproduct of seeking something else. If we seek His kingdom and righteousness first, the essential things we tend to worry about will be provided for us because our focus and priority is right. Philippians 4:19 says, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

To seek God’s kingdom is to submit to His rule in our hearts. It is a commitment to obey Him regardless of the circumstances. When we seek God’s righteousness, we are committed to the broader standards of God’s truth and justice for all people. John R.W. Stott related that seeking His kingdom is our evangelistic and missional responsibility and that seeking His righteousness is our social and benevolent responsibility.

The final point Jesus makes in verse 34 is a very practical truth: Live today, or, live one day at a time. Tomorrow does not exist until today. So He counsels us to live today. When tomorrow becomes today, it will bring with it challenges, temptations, opportunities, changes and troubles. Some commentators think Jesus might have smiled as He said, “Let tomorrow worry about itself.” Plans are good, and memories can be comforting, but we only have today to do our living.

In 1871, Sir William Osler read 21 words written by Thomas Carlyle. Those words had a significant impact on his life. He helped organize the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, was knighted by the king of England, and became Regius professor of medicine at Oxford. The 21 words are: “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” Forty-two years after reading those words, he addressed Yale University students and shared with them that the secret to successful living was learning how to shut out the past and the future and live one day at a time.

Jesus’ summation is profoundly clear: Don’t worry, seek God first, and live one day at a time.