I thought today would be a good day to do something a little different. Summer is pretty much over, we’ve all gotten back from vacations. Some of you are going back to school soon, and some of you already have. So now it’s time to get back into the routine of life and work.

So today’s sermon is going to be an opportunity for each of us to think through what we’re doing in life, and to plan out any changes that we need to make. Lamentations 3:40 says:

Let’s examine and probe our ways, and turn back to the LORD.

We’re going to talk about life today, and life in the future. We’re going to compare our lives to our passage of Scripture, and see what needs to change.

Matthew 6:31-34 says:

So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Outside of work or school, what do you spend most of your time doing? What do you value most in life? Scripture encourages us to value God above all other things. Exodus 20:3 says:

Do not have other gods besides me.

Psalm 73:25-26 says:

Who do I have in heaven but you?
And I desire nothing on earth but you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever.

And Philippians 3:7-8 says:

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ

So here’s the big question: does how you use your time reflect what you value most in life? Probably for most of us, there’s a disconnect there. Romans 7:15-20 says:

For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one that does it, but it is the sin that lives in me.

To get on track, ask yourself this question: What do I want my life to look like in 10 years? What needs to change in your life so that your time better reflects your priorities?

Now more than ever, people are anxious about life, and anxious about the future. Check out these three graphs:

How many of you get anxious thinking about the future? What are some things you worry about?

In our passage today, Jesus named some kinds of questions that we shouldn’t be asking. (v. 31)

We often get distracted with questions that don’t matter all that much, like what phone should I buy? What games should I play? What should I post on social media? There’s nothing wrong with considering these questions, because life is full of choices. But they’re not the main questions of life. (v. 32)

Instead, Jesus gives us a different goal to strive for. (v. 33) How can we do that? As a part of the same sermon as our passage today, Jesus prayed that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 says:

Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What would that look like?

Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. How do we seek His righteousness? Well, we can seek to live as righteous. But can we do that? Not really. So even more importantly, we rest in Christ’s righteousness. (v. 34)

So even as we think about what we want our lives to look like in 10 years, we shouldn’t necessarily worry about it. We should rest in God’s plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says:

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Our plan for ourselves isn’t what matters. We ought to learn to rest in God’s plan for us. I love the promise Israel was given in Jeremiah 29:13, which says:

You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t make plans. Rather, we ought to plan to follow God’s plan.

We worry about so many things: what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear…

Instead, seek the kingdom of God, resting in Christ’s righteousness, and trust God to give you what you need when you need it.