Matthew 6 - Consider the Lilies of the Field

They Have Their Reward

I've alway been a pragmatist when it comes to serving others. My attitude is that regardless of the purity of our motivations, it is better to serve someone than to not. I don't think Christ's teaching in the sermon on the mount necessarily contradict that notion, but He does teach a higher, holier way of being. He warns the hypocrites who give alms, pray, and fast for public recognition that they will not receive the blessings they might otherwise merit. He doesn't condemn service with impure motives, but simply warns that those who hypocritically do good for impure motives "have their reward" (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). 

In so many instances, we get to choose the spiritual outcomes of our lives. Even in the final judgment, we will not be assignedto glory or punishment as much as we will self-selectbased on our level of comfort. If we have not been transformed by the power of Christ we will not desire to be in his presence. He will not keep us out, we will choose not to go. In a similar way, we get to decide how we are rewarded for the good and kind things we do. When we serve others with hearts filled with sincerity and love, we are richly blessed, not because sincere service provides more value to the person served, necessarily, but because we get to enjoy a state of being filled with love, and become a new creature that is characterized by charity. Said another way, "when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:3-4). When we do not seek worldly reward for the service we render, we are demonstrating a transformative faith in God's eternal kingdom.. That exercised assurance that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth and that the currency that matters to us is spiritual is its own reward. 

Our Father Which Art in Heaven

Christ offered a beautiful model for communicating with Heavenly Father. But before he offered the Lord's prayer, Christ taught that "your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" (Matthew 6:8). God does not need to hear from us for His benefit. This teaching reinforces that there is something important and valuable for us in the process of articulating our gratitude and desires to our creator. 

When I first learned to pray I was taught to address my Heavenly Father, express gratitude, ask for blessings, and close in the name of Jesus Christ. This is a good model and has served me for decades. But when I take a closer look a the Lord's Prayer and consider is it as a model for howI should pray, I can see some areas for improvement in the way I talk with God. 

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9)

Jesus not only addressed His Father, but took a moment to praise and worship Him. Too often I approach Heavenly Father as if He were a vending machine, hurriedly cramming in my tokens or request before impatiently waiting for a bag of chips to drop. In each correspondence with Heavenly Father, I hope to be more reverent, and articulate my deep love and respect. 

"Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10)

Christ's prayer was first and foremost focused on the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Even my most righteous desires can often be self-centered. There is nothing wrong with my pleas for guidance and assistance in my career, educational decisions, or relationships, but I miss out when I do not focus my prayers on how I can assist in the establishment of God's church and the salvation of His people. God's promise to Joseph Smith and Olicer Cowery extends to us all: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation" (D&C 6:8). The highest purpose of prayer is to seek guidance from God on how to bless and serve the people around you. 

"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10)

The Bible Dictionary defines prayer as "the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." This phrase leaves me wondering how my prayers can help me align my will with God's. Certainly, I can ask Him directly what He would have me do, and plea that my nature can be molded by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11)

The blessings that we ask for ourselves should be limited in scope to our most basic and immediate needs. Christ only asked for dailybread, just enough to subsist for one day. It strikes me that Jesus probably had bread to eat that day. Not only did he limit the scope of his request to Heavenly Father to what He needed that day, but He was asking for something he already had. How many times do we ask for extravagant temporal blessings to be realized in the future? When we pray only for our daily subsistence, we acknowledge the ephemeral nature of our physical world and show confidence in the importance of the spiritual dimension of our lives. 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12)

I constantly make mistakes and fall short of the standard of God. In my every interaction with God, I need to ask His forgiveness daily. I can also use prayer as a way to make an accounting of my forgiveness of others and ask for help in letting go of my feelings of blame and resentment. Jesus is not describing a transaction process in which we exchange a sin forgiven for a sin committed. Forgiving others is transformational; it changes us to be more like God and makes us new creatures.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13)

The hymn "Did You Think to Pray" asks, "Did you sue for loving favor as a shield today?" We can use prayer to ask for protection and strength to resist temptation. In my own life, this looks like talking with God about difficult emotions I am experiencing, and seeking His help to process them in a healthy way. Sinful behavior is a symptom, not a disease. We do bad things when we are trying to avoid feeling bad, but if we involve God in the process of managing our emotions, sin is less appealing. 

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13)

I can't think of the last time I used prayer simply as an opportunity to express humility and glorify God. I wonder why Jesus would include this as a core tenant of a model prayer. How are we blessed when we acknowledge Gods power and give him ownership of and honor for His creations? I don't believe God ever intended for us to be self-deprecating. When we articulate our confidence in God's power, we essentially bear testimony of His might, and are blessed to believe it more. This confidence if God and His power over all things casts out fear and allows us to live and act with love and self-assurance. 

Perhaps a new model would look something like this:

1. Address our Heavenly Father
2. Express love and respect for God in an attitude of worship
3. Explore ways to build God's Kingdom and serve His children
4. Seek to know the will of God
5. Ask for simple and immediate temporal needs
6. Ask for forgiveness and forgive others
7. Ask for protection from temptation
8. Express your confidence in God's power in an attitude of humility
9. Close in the name of Jesus Christ

Lay up for Yourselves Treasures in Heaven

Jesus encouraged us not to be overly concerned with worldly attainments. And what is wrong with earthly treasures? Simply put, they are temporary. Our pursuit of temporal wealth distracts us from our primary purpose on earth. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). I love the notion that in the life we can invest in things that last forever. Even finite resources like time and money can be exchanged for things that last forever when used in pursuit of God's purposes. 

One of my favorite examples is education. I've never met or had an opportunity to properly thank the people who funded my undergraduate degree. Somewhere in the world, maybe even before I was born, a group of people developed their earning power, amassed some amount of wealth, and then instead of spending it on a bigger house, or a boat, or even bequeathing it to their own children, they chose to give it away. Because of their hard work and generosity, my brain is filled with knowledge that I will carry into the next life. I have been transformed into a new person by the spiritual and social experiences I had as an undergraduate student. Most importantly, their gift filled me with a profound sense of appreciation and gratitude which has shaped my world view, made me more generous, and inspired me to try to pay it forward in whatever way I can. And all of this despite of the fact that I occasionally squandered that gift (I can see myself sleeping through 7:00 am classes and using my meal plan to buy a 5 gallon drum of ice cream...). Had my donor kept their money to themselves, the house would have crumbled, the boat would have sunk.  Instead, I am a new person that gets to carry my happiness, knowledge, and character with me for eternity. 

Missing out on this kind of contribution is the risk of fixating on our own wealth. Excessive concern with the cares of the world eats up our time, talent, focus, and energy for more important things. As Christ explained: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). 

Consider the Lilies of the Field

I can still hear the music ringing through the rice paddies of Houlong. As a young missionary on the central western coast of Taiwan, I was stretched to my core. I couldn't speak Chinese, I was exhausted, and most of the people my companion and I encountered were not particularly interested in talking to us. Feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and constant rejection that are common to missionary work challenged my emotional well-being, my self confidence, and my faith. 

Before I left on my mission, I was gifted a recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir titled Consider the Lillies,and I listened to this hymn almost daily. The lyrics taken from Matthew 7:25-30 became a mantra for me, and a constant source of hope and strength. I would reflect on the words of hum the tune constantly, and it continues to be one of the most profound reassurances I have from my Heavenly Father whenever I feel weighed down by the cares of the world.

Take No Thought for Your Life

Christ advocates for a reckless hope, and charges us to "Take no thought for your life ... nor for your body" (Matthew 6:25). Specifically, don't worry about the physical needs of your temporal life, like "what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink," or "what ye shall put on" (Matthew 6:25). The reason that He gives is that our lives are more than what we eat, and our bodies are more than what we put on them. He is not telling us to be negligent, but to put a appropriate weight on our physical needs, which are exponentially less important than our spirits: "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:25). 

To illustrate this point, Christ uses a number of beautiful metaphors showing the love and sustaining careGod extends to all creatures, let alone His spirit children. "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matthew 6:26, 28-29).

At first this seems to contradict the instructions that God gave to Adam after he and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. God declared, "cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ...; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground" (Genesis 3:17-19). One way to reconcile these passages is to acknowledge that while we may need to labor for a living, we should provide for our physical needs by the sweat of our brows, not by the anxiety of our minds. 

I would argue the Christ is teaching something even more profound. As a condition of the Fall, food does not naturally spring forth as it did in the garden of Eden, but the atonement of Christ overcomes the effects of the Fall. All of them. Just as faith and repentance help us overcome the spiritual effects of the Fall, following Christ and dedicating your life to building his Kingdom helps overcome the physical effects of the Fall. He promises His disciples that their temporal needs will be address while they are in His service. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:30). 

One Cubit Unto His Stature

In order to quiet His apostles' anxiety, Jesus reminded them that God already knew everything that they needed, and that he is the bestower of every good gift. It is easy for me to imagine that if I were smarter, or worked harder, or had more money I would be able to avoid discomfort and obtain everything that I want in life. While it can feel embowering to believe that we get what we want through our own efforts, it can also feel overwhelming when our lives don't look like we imagined and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Jesus gently chides, "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" (Matthew 6:27). While God is eager to bless us, and rewards those who serve Him, it is important to remember that our works are dead and powerless. We not not have the ability to increase our height, or change our personality, and rend blessings from the sky. Only God has that power. Even when he have worked hard and exercised faith, the resulting blessings are still gifts bestowed by the grace of God, not something that we wrought with our own hands. In talking about missionary work, Paul explained it this way: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Knowing that God is good and omnipotent, and that ultimately our efforts are powerless on their own is empowering and liberating. It quiets anxiety and inspires trust that can drive action. Jesus reassured His disciples: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33). When we enter into a covenant relationship with God, and strive to build His kingdom, we can be confident that our basic needs will be met. 

Sufficient Unto the Day Is the Evil Thereof

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" (Matthew 6:34). I never understood what the last phrase of chapter 6 meant until I read it in Chinese.  The Chinese translation approximately states, "one day is enough for one day's worth of misfortune (一天的不幸一天就夠了)." Essentially, Jesus is reminding us not to let anxiety about our future soil our enjoyment of today, that one day is enough to process a day's-worth of suffering, anxiety or discomfort. As someone who is prone to anxiety, it is sometimes helpful for me to set aside a specific time in which to worry. I can figuratively put it on my calendar and say, "I will worry about my [career decision, upcoming move, new baby, etc.] from 3:00-4:00 this Thursday." This helps prevent me from ruminating on things that I can't control and undermining my ability to be happy and move forward in the present. More often than not, if we're really honest with ourselves, we are completely fine in our current moment, and most of our suffering stems from the fear and worry we produce in our own minds. 

Image Credit: Field of Lilies- Tiffany Studios, c. 1910.