Title: What Matters
Author: Gary Witcher

What Matters?

     What really matters?  When all is said and done, what is really important?
     Some might answer that it is food.  Those who have nothing see food as a necessity for existence.  Those who have too much see it as an enjoyable luxury.  But, in either case, is food what really matters?
     "Do not be anxious, then," Jesus advises in Matthew 6:31-33, "saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What shall we drink?' or, 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?'
     "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
     "But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."
     In the following chapter Jesus compares God with a father who is concerned about the well-being of his children.
     "Or what man is there among you," Jesus asks in verses 9-11, "when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?
     "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
     "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
     Chapter four of Matthew records for us the temptation of Jesus by the devil.
     "And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights," we read beginning in verse two, "He then became hungry.
     "And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'
     "But He answered and said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."'"
     In John chapter six Jesus feeds five thousand people with just five small loaves and two fish.  Later in the same chapter the multitude is still following Him.
     "Truly, truly, I say to you," Jesus speaks out in verses 26-27, "you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.
     "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal."
     The Jews begin in the next few verses to argue with Jesus about His power.
     "What then do You do for a sign," they demand beginning in verse 30, "that we may see, and believe You?  What work do You perform?  Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"
     "Truly, truly, I say to you," the Lord responds, "it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
     "For the bread of heaven is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
     "Lord, evermore give us this bread," they request in the next verse.
     "I am the bread of life;" Jesus explains, "he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
     The Master goes on to repeat that He is the bread of life, but those who are listening just want to argue with Him.
     "It is the Spirit who gives life;" Jesus finally expresses in verse 63, "the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life."
     So, as important as physical food is, can we really say it is all that important when all is said and done?  How does physical food compare with spiritual food?
     Perhaps, then, it is clothing that is important.  Don't we spend large amounts of time and money on our clothing?
     "And why are you anxious about clothing?" Jesus asks in Matthew 6:28-30.  "Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
     "But if God so arrays the grass, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?"
     Instead of being concerned about physical clothing, the New Testament stresses that we should focus on spiritual garments.
     "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ," Galatians 3:27 points out.
     "But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments;" Revelation 3:4-5 notes, "and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy.  He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels."
     "I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire," verse 18 states, "that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see."
     There are many other references to our spiritual clothing in Revelation chapters 4, 6, 7 and 19.
     "Behold, I am coming like a thief," Jesus promises in Revelation 16:15.  "Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame."
     Which matters more: physical or spiritual clothing?

     Perhaps it is transportation that we should be concerned about.  How much time and money do we devote to our cars?  And how important are our roads?
     "Enter by the narrow gate;" Matthew 7:13-14 instructs, "for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
     "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it."
     "And you know the way where I am going," Jesus tells His apostles in John 14:4.
     "Lord, we do not know where You are going;" Thomas responds, "how do we know the way?"
     "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;" Jesus states, "no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
     Should we be more concerned about physical transportation or about the correct spiritual road?
     Are we preoccupied with our houses?
     "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests;" the Lord says in Matthew 8:20 to a man who offers to follow Him, "but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
     "In My Father's house are many dwelling places;" Jesus informs His apostles in John 14:2-3, "if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
     Revelation 21:1-4 gives us an idea of the wonderful dwelling place we have in Jesus.
     Maybe we should be concerned about our leisure time, about rest and relaxation.
     "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," the Master offers in Matthew 11:28-30.
     "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."
     Hebrews 4:7-11 promises true rest for the people of God.
     "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!" Revelation 14:13 claims.  "'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.'"
     What about money?
     "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal," we learn in Matthew 6:19-20, "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
     "No one can serve two masters;" verse 24 adds, "for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and riches."
     How many people have we seen whose lives are controlled by their work?
     "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit,'" James 4:13-17 teaches.
     "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.'
     "But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil."
     And how often are we worried about our health?
     "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?" Jesus wonders in Matthew 6:27.
     In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul discusses a physical ailment he calls a thorn in his flesh.
     "Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me," he writes in verses 8-9.
     "And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
     Last of all, what about our families?
     "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth;" Jesus notes in Matthew 10:34-37, "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
     "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household.
     "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me."
     "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" Jesus asks in Matthew 12:48.
     "Behold, My mother and My brothers!" He responds to His own question in the next two verses.
     "For whoever shall do the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."
     Of course, a Christian is expected to be responsible.  So the question is not whether we should neglect our responsibilities.  Rather it revolves around our priorities.
     "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness;" we have already read in Matthew 6:33, "and all these things shall be added to you."
     "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow;" the passage concludes, "for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."
     How much time have you spent this week worrying about food, clothing, transportation, housing, rest, money, work, health and family?  How much have you devoted to spiritual matters?
     Jesus shows us in Matthew 8:19-22 that He expects us to count the cost of following Him and then to make a commitment.  Paul exhibits for us the proper attitude in Philippians 3:7-8.
     "But whatever things were gain to me," he writes, "those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."
     "Not that I speak from want;" Paul explains in Philippians 4:11-13, "for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
     Which is more important in your life?  Is it the pursuit of earthly things, or is it the search for the truth that will set you free?

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."