Continuing our thoughts on allowing the truth of the Word that as believers we have God as our Father and the implications of that, think today on how this impacts our living by faith.

Read Matthew 6:33-34. More than anything else, we must find our identity in Christ and the fact that thru faith in the all-sufficient work of Christ we have been adopted into God's family. That our citizenship and loyalty are to a kingdom that is not of this world. In actuality this world is opposed to the kingdom to which we belong. See 1 John 2:15-16. And we must seek first this kingdom. Not our own. But we must do this by faith.

In faith, we must allow our identity in Christ and who the Bible says we are to inform our thinking and our living, not merely more than anything else, but solely. And we are called to follow God no matter what this life of faith and pursuit of His kingdom costs us. And the truth of our adoption fuels this faith no matter the costs.

That is the context of Matthew 6:33. Read Matthew 6:25-32. This passage is about not worrying about the necessities of life, that of food and clothing. WHY? Because we have God as our Father. Twice here Jesus says this, in verses 26 and 32. As such, we are to live by faith that God as our Father will take care of us just as He does everything else without them worrying about it, such as birds and grass and lilies of the field.

The whole point of the text is that as children of God adopted thru faith in the sufficient work of Christ, we are more valuable, see verse 26, than these other things that God provides for. Thus we should and can trust Him to provide for these things as we pursue His kingdom and righteousness.

And the issue behind all of this is brought to the forefront in verse 30 - "you of little faith". Worrying about these things shows a lack of faith in God as our Father. As believers, we must not worry about the things that non-believers worry about. That's verses 31-32. WHY? Because we have God as our Father.

This passage says again in verse 32 that our Heavenly Father knows that we need these and the implication is that if God provides the necessary things for those who are not His children, then He will certainly provide these things for those whom Christ died and made His children thru faith.

Thus, our adoption allows and fuels and dare I say mandates that we not spend our time worrying about these things but instead, and this is verse 33-34, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things, (this is referring to the things we just mentioned, the things we worry about daily like food and clothing and such) will be added to you."

The fact that God is our Father ought to free us to live for His kingdom and glory and righteousness and trust Him for the things we need daily. Faith.

The temptation for all of us is to put these other things, status and security and and things of this world before loyalty to God and His kingdom. To be concerned with these things more than we are the things of God. And to do this is to forget or at the very least not fully grasp God as our Father and what this means.

To be sure, pursuing God's kingdom and trusting Him for these things as our Father may actually take us down a path that costs us some of these things. A life of faith may require us to forgo some of these things, as the lives of the disciples to whom Jesus spoke these truths display.

But it is here that the truth of our adoption must come to bear and guide. Matthew 6:25 - when these times come, "do not worry about these things". WHY? Back to faith in our adoption and God as our Father. If God cares for these other things and they don't have to worry, then He certainly cares for those whom Christ died and whom God is their Father. Don't worry about these other things because we can know our Father knows we need these things.

Do we trust God and see God like we would a good earthly father? Do we see ourselves in God's care as any child would who has a good father? Do we think of ourselves as having a good father? This faith in seeing ourselves as children of God and seeing Him as Father is vital if we are to live as we must as believers. 

How big or small is your faith this morning? How is this impacted by or related to how you see God as Father? What might what you worry or think about or pursue say about your faith and how you see God this morning?

May we truly grasp God as our Father thru the adoption that comes by faith, understanding that this frees us to live a life of faith concerned for His kingdom and not our own, trusting God to provide for the necessities of life. All to His glory. Even in these times.

The fact that God is our Father ought to free us to live for His kingdom and glory and righteousness and trust Him for the things we need daily.