The Gospel of Matthew 6:25-34 (NKJV) Part 3
Welcome to The-Way Ministry.
Good Afternoon and welcome. Before we open God’s Word today, we want to express our deep gratitude to our supporting ministry partners who stand faithfully alongside us as we proclaim the grace, truth, and light of Jesus Christ:
- Luminous Church — San Antonio, TX
- Sowers Church of Christ — San Antonio, TX
- Christian Community Church of Ministry — Bangladesh
- Victory Group Bible Study
- First Baptist Church of Lytle — Lytle, TX (www.fbclytle.org)
Walk With Us
Walk with us in The Way. Here, our journey is rooted in honest reflection, continual discovery, and biblical devotion. Because we all fall short of the glory of God, the path begins with repentance, turning our hearts toward the cross. From repentance flows reconciliation, both vertically with our Creator and horizontally with our brothers and sisters, opening the door to the full restoration promised through the grace of Jesus Christ.
As we gather around the Scriptures today, our goal is neither routine reading nor empty human tradition, but genuine spiritual transformation. In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were commended for examining the Scriptures daily to test whether what was taught was true.
Reading Scripture is vital, but what truly matters is understanding how God speaks into our world today and into the quiet reality of our personal walk.
When questions stir in your heart, open your Bible, test what you hear against God’s truth, and lean on the promise in James 1:5: God gives wisdom generously to all who ask.
Join us as we examine God’s Word, test our perspectives against Scripture, and seek truth together
Exploration: Setting the Scene & The Stakes
In Matthew 6:16-24, Jesus exposed the theater of public fasting, called disciples to lay up enduring treasures in heaven, and dismantled the illusion that one can serve two masters. He severed our ties to the counterfeit idol of Mammon and demanded wholehearted devotion.
Yet the fallen heart quickly retreats into an insidious ditch: if we cannot serve money, how will we survive? The moment Jesus tears Mammon off its pedestal, fear and anxiety rush in to claim the void. In Matthew 6:25-34, the King addresses this instinct, demonstrating that temporal anxiety is not merely a psychological burden, but a profound crisis of faith:
- Movement 1: The Cure for Temporal Anxiety (Matthew 6:25-30) Examining the birds of the air and the lilies of the field to see the Father’s unshakeable providence.
- Movement 2: The Priority of the Kingdom (Matthew 6:31-33) Abandoning the frantic striving of the nations to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.
- Movement 3: Sufficiency for Today (Matthew 6:34) Refusing to borrow future trouble, trusting God for daily grace one step at a time
Movement 1: The Cure for Temporal Anxiety
Scripture Focus
“Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:25–30 (NKJV)
Historical Context, Cross-Biblical Connections & The Humanity of Christ
- Subsistence Living in Roman Galilee: The listeners gathered on the hillside were not wealthy magnates managing excess capital. They were agrarian tenant farmers, day laborers, and fishermen under the crushing weight of Roman taxation, Herod’s revenue collectors, and unpredictable rainfall. When Jesus said, “do not worry about what you will eat,” He was speaking directly to people whose food security was genuinely precarious.
- The Argument from Minor to Major (Qal Va-Chomer): Jesus employs classic Rabbinic logic: if God lavishes intricate design and daily nourishment upon lesser creatures (birds and wild grass), how much more (pollō mallon) will He care for His image-bearers whom He redeemed by grace?
- The Open-Air Cathedral: Jesus points directly at the surrounding Galilean ecosystem—sparrows swooping over the hills, wildflowers (krena) flourishing along the slopes, and wild brush gathered by peasants to kindle small earthen baking ovens (klibanos). Creation itself is summoned as an unshakeable witness to God’s tender sovereignty.
Expository Analysis
- The Hinging Injunction (Dia touto lego hymin, me merimnate, v. 25): The imperative begins with “Therefore” (dia touto), hooking directly back to verse 24. Because you cannot serve both God and money, you must not worry. The Greek verb merimnaō is derived from merizō (“to divide”) and nous (“the mind”). Worry fractures the mind, pulling attention between present duty and future fear.
- The Valuation of the Soul (Ouch hymeis mallon diapherete autōn, v. 26): Birds do not sit idle—they forage, build nests, and feed their young—yet they do not hoard in barns because they are sustained by the Father’s creation. Jesus asks: “Are you not of far greater worth than they?” Discipleship rests on understanding our covenant value before the Father.
- The Absolute Impotence of Worry (Tis de ex hymōn merimnōn, v. 27): Anxiety cannot add a single cubit (pēchys, roughly 18 inches) to a person’s lifespan or physical stature. Worry produces no food, knits no garments, and resolves no crises; it merely drains the spirit of today’s strength.
- The Diagnosis of Frail Trust (Oligopistoi, v. 30): Jesus does not accuse His followers of having no faith (apistoi), but of being “of little faith” (oligopistoi). Worry is an internal lapse where the soul forgets that God is both all-knowing Sovereign and loving Father.
Tomas’s Corner: The Illusion of Control
We like to think that worrying is an act of responsibility. We pace the floor, run endless worst-case scenarios through our heads, and tell ourselves, “I’m just being practical.”
Let’s be honest: worry isn’t preparation; it’s an attempt to play God. It is our fallen nature trying to control what only the Almighty can hold. When you obsess over what might happen next month, next year, or twenty years from now, you are acting as if God abandoned the throne and left you to manage the universe alone.
Look outside your window. The birds don’t have panic attacks over tomorrow’s breakfast. The wildflowers along the highway don’t lose sleep wondering if they’ll bloom in the spring. God clothes them with greater beauty than King Solomon ever displayed, yet they are here today and gone tomorrow. If God takes care of the grass that gets dried up and thrown into a brushfire, do you really believe He will abandon you? Take your hands off the steering wheel, release your white-knuckle grip on the future, and let your heavenly Father be God.
In our upcoming weekend study in the Women of Faith and Courage Series, we examine Queen Esther, who found herself facing an impossible, life-or-death crisis. She couldn’t manipulate the Persian empire, control the king’s decree, or guarantee her own survival. Yet when the moment of decision arrived, she surrendered the outcome completely to the unseen hand of God, declaring: “If I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16). That wasn’t fatalism or defeat—it was radical, holy surrender. She took her hands off the outcome and stepped forward in obedience.
A familiar song often comes to mind when reflecting on this kind of surrender: Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” The lyrics capture that raw, terrifying moment when life spins out of our grasp, the road gets icy, and we finally realize we were never truly in control to begin with. Too often, we let life’s endless distractions, anxieties, and deadlines crowd out our faith. We fight frantically to steer every circumstance, predict every hazard, and manage every outcome by our own strength.
Instead of exhausting ourselves trying to control the wind and the waves, what would happen if we simply let go and let God take the wheel? True peace doesn’t come from securing tomorrow; it comes from surrendering today into the hands of the King.
Movement 2: The Priority of the Kingdom (Matthew 6:31–33)
Scripture Focus
“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:31–33 (NKJV)
Historical Context, Cross-Biblical Connections & The Humanity of Christ
- The Pagan Worldview of Scarcity: In the surrounding Gentile cultures, the gods were unpredictable, indifferent, or antagonistic. Life was viewed as a brutal struggle against capricious fate, where men had to frantically hoard goods to insulate themselves against catastrophe. Jesus warns His followers that living in perpetual material panic reduces a covenant child to the practical atheism of the pagan world.
- The Omniscience of the Father: Jesus repeats the foundational truth He declared regarding prayer in verse 8: “your Father knows that you need all these things”[cite: 2]. God is neither blind to our physical frailty nor ignorant of our bills, our bread, and our physical shelter [cite: 1].
- Christ’s Singular Mission: Jesus lived Matthew 6:33 with absolute purity. He owned no estate, chased no title, and built no personal financial fortress [cite: 1]. His food was to do the will of Him who sent Him and to finish His work (John 4:34).
Expository Analysis
- The Striving of the Nations (Panta gar tauta ta ethnē epizētei, v. 32): The compound verb epizēteō denotes an intense, exhausting, and consuming pursuit. The unregenerate world runs relentlessly after temporal security because they have no heavenly Father to trust. For a kingdom citizen to live in that same panic is an outright contradiction of their adoption.
- The Royal Mandate (Zēteite de prōton tēn basileian, v. 33):
- Zēteō (present imperative): Calls for a persistent, lifelong pursuit.
- Prōton: Indicates foundational priority of value and sequence, not merely checking off God’s list first before returning to selfish ambition.
- Tēn Basileian tou Theou kai tēn dikaiosynēn autou: Disciples align their will with God’s reigning authority and His holy, covenant righteousness [cite: 2, 4].
- The Sovereign Guarantee (Kai tauta panta prostethēsetai hymin, v. 33): The verb prostithēmi is a divine passive: God Himself will add what is necessary. Disciples do not pursue the kingdom in order to manipulate God into giving them goods; they pursue the King, and the King faithfully sustains His ambassadors.
Tomas’s Corner: What Are You Really Chasing?
What is the first thing that enters your thoughts when your eyes open in the morning? Is it a frantic list of bills, appointments, and earthly pressures, or is it the presence of God?
Jesus said the world runs around chasing material things (epizēteō, v. 32). They hustle, scramble, scheme, and grind because they believe that if they don’t look out for number one, nobody else will. But as a follower of Jesus Christ, you do not belong to that system. You have a Father who already knows what you need before you even formulate the sentence (v. 32).
The whole issue comes down to a simple, fundamental choice in how we direct our lives every day. Sure, we can make all our meticulous plans, calculations, and schemes, but tomorrow is never guaranteed. The future isn’t here yet, and we might not even make it there. The present is right now; we live in this moment. How many times in life have you planned out one specific route, only to find that life—or better yet, God—had something entirely different in store?
God doesn’t force us like machines; He gives us the dignity of choice to decide which path we will walk. Outside of our personal surrender, we were never in sovereign control of our circumstances anyway. We cannot control the global economy or the weather tomorrow, but we do control our obedience, our choices, and which Master we honor. Our life belongs to God.
Look around your home. If I’m completely honest about myself, I have four pairs of boots, several cowboy hats, and a few more TVs and electronic gadgets than I could ever reasonably need. In the end, what do they do? Most of those extra possessions end up sitting around like quiet museum pieces—gathering dust, taking up space, and never really being used.
We work extra hours, exhaust our peace, and chase after items that end up parked on shelves as lifeless monuments to our spending. That is the tragedy of worldly striving: trading our living time and spiritual energy for things that don’t satisfy.
Seeking first the Kingdom does not mean you quit your job, neglect your family, and sit on a porch waiting for food to drop from the clouds. It means your priorities are thoroughly reordered by the Holy Spirit. It means honesty at work comes before a dishonest profit. It means serving God’s people comes before building your personal trophy room. It means seeking His righteousness is non-negotiable, while everything else takes a back seat.
When you put the King first, He faithfully provides what you need. Stop chasing what the world chases, clear out the clutter of the heart, and start pursuing the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Movement 3: Sufficiency for Today (Matthew 6:34)
Scripture Focus
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” — Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)
Expository Analysis
- The Futility of Borrowed Sorrow (Mē oun merimnēsēte eis tēn aurion, v. 34): The preposition eis looks toward the horizon. Jesus commands His listeners to stop projecting their imaginations into an unwritten tomorrow. Borrowing tomorrow’s potential catastrophe does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
- Tomorrow Has Its Own Worries (Hē gar aurion merimnēsei heautēs, v. 34): In a striking rhetorical device, Jesus personifies the next day. Tomorrow will arrive with its own assignments, opportunities, and tests. God provides grace in daily portions—just as He gave manna in the wilderness that could not be hoarded overnight (Exodus 16:19-20) [cite: 2].
- The Realism of Daily Affliction (Arketon tē hēmera hē kakia autēs, v. 34): Jesus never promises an easy life insulated from pain. The word kakia refers to trouble, trial, hardship, or difficulty. The King does not live in denial; He acknowledges that today has enough hardship of its own. Disciples are called to steward today’s trials with today’s grace, trusting God to supply tomorrow’s mercy when tomorrow comes (Lamentations 3:22–23).
Pastoral Reflection: Why It Matters to You and Me
Matthew 6:25–34 confronts the quiet battle that rages inside every human heart. We can nod our heads in church, recite our creeds, and affirm that God is Almighty—yet when an unexpected bill arrives, when medical test results are delayed, or when economic instability shakes our community, our immediate reaction is often panic.
Anxiety is Mammon’s parting shot. When the enemy cannot tempt us into hoarding wealth, he tries to paralyze us with the fear of lacking it. He whispers that God might be powerful enough to spin the galaxies, but He is too detached to care about your daily survival.
Jesus crushes that lie with the petals of a wildflower and the flight of a sparrow. You are not an orphan drifting through a cold, indifferent universe. You are a blood-bought child of the Living God. When you seek His Kingdom and embrace His righteousness, you are stepping out of the frantic rat race of this world and into the unshakeable shelter of divine providence. You do not have to carry tomorrow’s weight on today’s shoulders. Rest in your Father’s love, walk in His truth, and trust Him for the bread of this day.
Meditation & Points of Self-Reflection
- The Root of the Panic: When anxiety creeps into your thoughts late at night, what specific resource or outcome are you afraid of losing? Have you laid that specific fear before the Father in honest prayer?
- The Sparrow Test: Look around creation today. How does observing God’s steady provision for the natural world challenge your personal fears regarding your finances, health, or family?
- The Alignment of Priorities: If you look at your schedule, your financial outlays, and your primary daily goals, are you genuinely seeking first the Kingdom of God, or are you giving God whatever time and energy remains after chasing earthly matters?
- Living in Today’s Grace: Are you currently carrying the emotional freight of next month or next year? What specific burden do you need to hand back to the Lord today, choosing to focus solely on faithful obedience in this present twenty-four hours?
Bringing It Home and The Choice Before Us Today
The King has brought Matthew Chapter 6 to its ultimate resolution. We are left standing at the exact intersection where faith meets our everyday lives:
- The Path of Gentile Striving: We can live like the world around us—consumed by anxiety, white-knuckling our bank accounts, paralyzed by tomorrow’s shadows, and viewing life through the frantic lens of self-preservation.
- The Path of Kingdom Freedom: Or we can take our King at His word. We can surrender our anxious striving, trust the Father who numbers the hairs on our head, seek His righteousness above every temporal ambition, and walk forward in confident peace.
Do not borrow trouble from a tomorrow that belongs entirely to God. Lay down your worry, fix your eyes on the King, and seek first His Kingdom today.
Conclusion: Crossing the Threshold from Matthew 6 into Acts 6
As our established canonical study alternates between the inaugural manifesto of the King and the apostolic witness of the early Church, the surrender of control in Matthew 6 bridges directly into the crucible of Acts Chapter 6:
- Surrendering Scarcity to Holy Spirit Administration (Acts 6:1–7): In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus commands His followers not to obsess over daily bread, but to trust the Father and seek His righteous order. In Acts 6, when a material distribution crisis threatens to fracture the early Church along ethnic lines, the Apostles do not panic or resort to carnal micromanagement. They surrender control to the Spirit, appointing seven men full of faith and wisdom to oversee the daily tables so that prayer and the ministry of the Word remain unhindered.
- Stephen: The Prime Example of Letting God Take the Wheel (Acts 6:8–15): Stephen embodies the ultimate application of Matthew 6:33. He did not chase earthly titles, calculate personal security, or manage his life out of fear. Appointed to wait on tables, he allowed God to completely govern his steps. Full of grace and divine power, he boldly preached the unvarnished truth before hostile accusers. Stephen took his hands off the steering wheel of his own preservation, seeking only the Kingdom and its righteousness—even when standing before the council with a face shining like an angel.
What to Expect: Our Weekly Publishing Schedule
To help you navigate our upcoming studies and character reflections, here is the roadmap for how our writings will unfold throughout the week:
Sunday through Friday: The Primary Expository Journey
Our core study continues through the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Acts, featuring our ongoing focus: “Crossing into the Threshold.” These daily entries dive deep into Scripture, verse by verse, examining the pivotal moments where faith meets action.
Saturdays: Dedicated Character Studies
Every Saturday, we pause our weekday expository track to focus entirely on personal character profiles. Saturdays alternate between two distinct series:
- Men with Flaws Covered by Grace Series: Honest looks at biblical men who stumbled, schemed, and failed—yet were upheld and used through sovereign grace.
- Women of Faith and Courage Series: In-depth studies of women who navigated impossible cultural, spiritual, and physical trials with unshakeable resolve.
Whether you join us for our weekday walk through Matthew and Acts, drop in on the weekend for a standalone character study, or follow along with both, we are grateful to share this journey with you.
Call to Action & Partnership
Truth was never given merely to be analyzed; it was given to be lived out upon the road. We invite you to stand with The-Way Ministry as we walk through the unvarnished text of the New Testament, stripping away human tradition to proclaim the radical lordship of Jesus Christ.
Engage with these movements, test every word against the Scriptures (Acts 17:11), and share this study with your home groups, Sunday classes, and personal study partners. Stand with us in prayer and mission as we proclaim the Light that shatters the darkness across every border and tongue.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, quiet the frantic worries of our hearts today. Deliver us from the exhausting illusion that we must control every outcome, hoard for an unwritten tomorrow, or strive like those who have no Father. Teach us the quiet trust of the birds and the uncalculated beauty of the lilies. Reorder our steps so that Your Kingdom and Your righteousness remain our singular pursuit. We take our hands off the wheel of our lives and surrender them entirely into Your hands.
And now, as our Savior taught us, we pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
Blessings in Christ’s Grace and Truth,
Walk With Us
The-Way is an ongoing journey of discovery, reflection, and devotion. I invite you to read along, test your perspectives against Scripture, and join a community dedicated to seeking truth.
Tomas
The-Way Ministry
Standing on Truth, Walking the Narrow Way
Recent Postings:
- The Gospel of John Chapter 21:1-14:Breakfast by the Sea: The Net, the Shore, and the Shepherd’s Table
- Tanar Righteous Boldness under Old Testament Traditions
- The Gospel of John Chapter 20:19-31:The Risen Lord in the Upper Room
- The Gospel of John Chapter 20:1-18:The Dawn of a New Creation and The Risen Lord
- The Gospel of John Chapter 19:31-42: The Pierced Side and Burial
- The Gospel of John Chapter 19:17-30: The Crucifixion and Death
- The Gospel of John Chapter 19:1-16: The Trial and Sentencing
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Technical Study Annex & Exegetical Appendix
I. Comprehensive Biblical References
- Matthew 6:25–34: The King’s prohibition of temporal anxiety, the object lessons of the birds and lilies, the mandate of primary kingdom pursuit, and sufficiency for the present day.
- Exodus 16:13–21: The daily provision of manna in the wilderness, establishing God’s covenant design that bread cannot be hoarded for tomorrow.
- 1 Kings 10:1–29: The splendor, wealth, and apparel of Solomon, contrasted with the effortless beauty of wild field flowers.
- Psalm 104:27–30: The sovereign ecology of God who feeds every living creature in due season.
- Lamentations 3:22–23: The mercies of the Lord that are new every morning, providing daily grace for daily trouble.
- Acts 6:1–15: The administration of daily sustenance in the early Church, the setting apart of the Seven, and Stephen boldly proclaiming the gospel under total reliance on the Spirit.
- Philippians 4:6–7: The apostolic injunction to be anxious for nothing, but through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to make requests known to God.
- 1 Peter 5:6–7: Casting all anxiety upon Him because He cares for His people.
II. Critical and Exegetical Footnotes
- 1. The Divided Mind of Merimnaō (v. 25): The Greek verb merimnaō derives etymologically from merizō (“to divide”) and nous (“mind”). In Matthean theology, worry is not merely mental distress; it is an internal fracturing of allegiance that splits the heart between trusting the Father and attempting self-preservation.
- 2. The Galilean Agrarian Reality (vv. 26, 28): Jesus points directly to the precarious peasant life of Galilee. The crowd knew the intense labor of sowing, reaping, and spinning wool for garments. By contrasting human striving with the effortless sustenance of wild sparrows (peteina) and lilies (krina), Jesus exposes the futility of anxiety without endorsing sloth.
- 3. The Cubit of Lifespan (Pēchys, v. 27): While pēchys is primarily a unit of linear distance (a cubit, approx. 18 inches), ancient Mediterranean idiom often used spatial measurements metaphorically for the span of earthly life (cf. Psalm 39:5, “You have made my days a few handbreadths”). Anxiety cannot extend mortality by the smallest measure.
- 4. The Fuel of the Earthen Oven (Klibanos, v. 30): The wild grass of the Judean hillside quickly withered under the scorching eastern wind (sirocco). Peasants swept up this dead grass to kindle small earthen baking ovens (klibanos). Jesus highlights the sovereign extravagance of God: if He robes short-lived kindling in royal majesty, His covenant image-bearers will never be abandoned.
- 5. The Striving of Unbelief (Epizēteō, v. 32): The compound verb epizēteō emphasizes intense, frantic, and exhausting pursuit. Jesus diagnoses this striving as the distinctive mark of the Gentiles (ethnē)—a worldview devoid of an omniscient, covenant-keeping Father.
- 6. The Mandate of First Sequence (Prōton, v. 33): The adverb prōton establishes both chronological sequence and supreme hierarchical value. Seeking the kingdom is not one ambition balanced alongside worldly pursuits; it is the sole axis around which all human labor must turn.
- 7. Personified Tomorrow and Daily Trouble (Kakia, v. 34): In verse 34, hē aurion (“tomorrow”) is personified as carrying its own freight of care. The noun kakia refers not to moral evil here, but to affliction, hardship, and the friction of fallen creation. God parcels out grace in daily measures, forbidding the disciple from borrowing future affliction.
III. Canonical Cross-References: The Reversal of Eschatological Status
- Wilderness Manna vs. Hoarded Wealth (Exodus 16:19–20 vs. Matthew 6:25–34): Israel attempted to hoard extra manna out of fear, resulting in rot and worms; Jesus restores the Sabbath rest of the soul by commanding daily trust in the Father’s hand.
- Solomon’s Imperial Splendor vs. The Wild Lily (1 Kings 10:21–29 vs. Matthew 6:29): The zenith of human royal wealth and manufactured finery falls short of the organic majesty God lavishes on an uncultivated flower destined for the fire.
- Elijah by the Brook Cherith vs. Ahab’s Imperial Famine (1 Kings 17:1–6): The apostate king commanded royal storehouses yet starved under drought, while the isolated prophet was sustained daily by ravens at the command of Yahweh.
- The Widow of Zarephath’s Jar vs. Human Prudence (1 Kings 17:8–16): Human calculation saw a handful of flour and imminent death; covenant obedience poured out the last meal, unlocking miraculous sufficiency that never ran dry.
- Stephen Before the Sanhedrin vs. The Council’s Political Power (Acts 6:12–15): The high court held political dominance and the power of execution, yet the surrendered servant Stephen radiated the unshakeable glory of the throne room of heaven.
IV. Key Greek Word Studies & Cross-References
- Merimnaō (μεριμνάω, vv. 25, 27, 28, 31, 34): Meaning “to be anxious, troubled with care, to have a divided, distracted mind.” Cross-references: Luke 10:41; 12:22; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7.
- Diapherō (διαφέρω, v. 26): Meaning “to differ, to be of greater value, to excel, to carry through.” Cross-references: Matthew 10:31; 12:12; 1 Corinthians 15:41.
- Pēchys (πῆχυς, v. 27): Meaning “a cubit” (measure of length, about 18 inches; used metaphorically for a span of life or stature). Cross-references: Luke 12:25; John 21:8; Revelation 21:17.
- Katamanthanō (καταμανθάνω, v. 28): Meaning “to consider carefully, observe thoroughly, learn by close inspection.” Unique in the New Testament to this context.
- Oligopistos (ὀλιγόπιστος, v. 30): Meaning “of little faith, exhibiting immature or hesitant trust.” Cross-references: Matthew 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28.
- Epizēteō (ἐπιζητέω, v. 32): Meaning “to seek intensely, strive after with desperate craving, search diligently.” Cross-references: Romans 11:7; Philippians 4:17; Hebrews 11:14; 13:14.
- Basileia (βασιλεία, v. 33): Meaning “kingdom, sovereign reign, royal realm, dominion.” Cross-references: Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 6:10; Colossians 1:13.
- Prostithēmi (προστίθημι, v. 33): Meaning “to add, place beside, supply over and above.” Cross-references: Acts 2:41, 47; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 12:19.
- Kakia (κακία, v. 34): Meaning “trouble, affliction, hardship, adversity, ill circumstances.” Cross-references: Acts 8:22; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 14:20.
| Future Postings | Release Date |
| The Internal Heart and Mind: Murder, Wrath and Reconciliation (Matthew 5:21-30) | 10/29/2026 |
| Heart of Covenant Integrity: Marriage Vows and Plain Truth (Matthew Chapter (5:31-37) | 10/30/2026 |
| Rebekah, the Well/Spring of Life, and Covenant Faith | 10/31/2026 |
| The Radical Standard: Turning the Cheek and Perfect Love (Matthew 5:38-48) | 11/01/2026 |
| What’s in Your Heart: Brooding Mind and Power of the Spirit (Acts 5:1-16) | 11/02/2026 |
| Apostles: The Way of Christ Love from Arrest to Deliverance (Acts 5:17-32) | 11/03/2026 |
| Can You Rejoice While Suffering for Christ’s Love? (Acts 5:33-42) | 11/04/2026 |
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