For me, there are two main areas in today’s reading. The first area was a great reminder that it is so easy to get caught up in wanting to be recognized for the good we do. Especially in the world we live in today where everyone loves to point out the flaws in others. So, when we get the chance to do something good, we want others to know about it. The problem is that Jesus is saying if we seek out recognition from those around us for the good we do, we receive our reward in full from them and not from the Father. Further, by seeking recognition here on earth, our motivation makes us hypocrites because we are doing it for the recognition and not for the love or service of others.
The second part of today’s reading deals with worry. I love verse 27 where it say “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” It’s a great question. If I worry about every aspect of my future, does it add anything to it? It is an act of obedience to trust in God and in His perfect plan for our lives. That does not mean we need to sit on the couch and wait, it means we need to get up and move and trust that He is at work in guiding us. The other great passage in today’s reading is verse 34 where it says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” We need to deal with the present and be in the present. I am so guilty of this! I tend to do things based on where I see the future state of a situation. I need to be in the present and act based on the current state of the issue at hand and trust that God is guiding me towards tomorrow.
Daily Devotion 
The commandments about our faith like, “how to give, how to pray, how to fast” are so important. Our relationship with God is just that, a relationship with Him. It’s not for others. It’s not for us to put on a show to prove our faith to others. People should know we’re followers of Christ because of the way we live our lives, not because of what we tell them. I love these words.
geeze, i’m incredibly convicted.
“all this time and money wasted on fashion- do you think it makes that much difference? instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wild flowers- most of which are never even seen- dont you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? what i’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.”
as a female, this is one of the hardest things for me to do. i need to cut back on all the effort i put into looking fashionable and turn that effort into something that benefits other people instead. it’s true…does it really matter what i look like in the grand scheme of things?! it’s important that my money isnt tied up, so that i can be a blessing to others.
and one more thought…isnt it so cool that God gives great attention to wildflowers all over the world, most of which are never even seen!!! He’s that way with the stars too- we’ll never be able to experience the beauty of all of them, they’re just too far away. it just goes to show His extreme extravagance!!! and while managing all of flowers and stars in the universe, He also attends to every prayer that’s offered up, all over the world, every moment of every day! yup, He’s pretty cool. 🙂
As with everything in life, all of our actions come down to the motivation of the heart. It would be easy to read this passage and think, “Oh, how I look doesn’t matter” or “It’s a sin to put effort into how I look” etc…but I don’t think that’s what Jesus is saying here. What he’s talking about is the motivation of the heart. Are you too preoccupied with looking just right? Are you preoccupied with the identity your job gives you? Looking nice without being a slave to it is one thing. Loving your work and doing it well is one thing. It’s when they become your master that it becomes a problem. It’s something I am constantly re-evaluating in my life when it comes to performance and the pursuit of the career. I allowed it to rule my life. It didn’t make the pursuit a bad, just my heart motivation behind it.
I love when Jesus says, “Look at the birds, free and unfettered. Not tied down by a job description, careless in the care of God” Ahhhh, what a beautiful picture. Careless in the care of God. I have a picture in my living room of me at the age of 3 standing outside exuding carefree abandon. Why was I able to be like that? Because I was a little girl who trusted her parents. What was there to worry about? Mom and dad had it covered. And when you’re 3, you don’t try to be carefree. You just are because you know you are cared for. I keep it out as a daily reminder that that is what God desires for me. Authentic carefree abandon. Nothing forced, because forcing never works. It’s a carefree-ness that natural springs forth because I know that dad has it covered. Man, that feels good.