Worldly Expectations

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. Matthew 6:33

The question here is: should we expect anything worldly in return for being used by our Father to serve His Kingdom? The answer is yes. Jesus tells us in several places that we should fully expect to have our Father provide earthly things for us. Our Father knows that we need food, shelter, clothes, and money to live in this world. Jesus tells us not to worry about these things though. He tells us this because all of these things will be added to us as the Holy Spirit causes us to seek first our Father’s Kingdom. Another question is will our Father only give us just enough to get by or will He provide us with more than we need?

And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30

Jesus plainly tells us that our Father will provide us with magnificent things. He also tells us that our Father will give us so much that we will be able to be charitable for every good work.

And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. 2 Corinthians 9:8

In Matthew 24:44-46 Jesus tells us that we will actually be used to give food and provisions away during the Great Tribulation. When the world will have nothing, we will have worldly things and we will be giving them away to the needy. Just look at Jesus’ life and you can see how our Father will take care of us. Jesus had Wise Men show up at His birth and give His family great wealth, Matthew 2:11. Our Father gave Jesus so much money that He had a thief in charge of it and no one knew that Judas was stealing from it, John 12:6. If Jesus was poor everyone would know if money was being stolen from the treasury. Also look at Jesus clothes, they were so fine that after He had sweated blood and then been beaten, the Roman soldiers gambled to see who would get them, John 19:23. So the answer is yes we should fully expect that our Father abundantly take care of us.

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. Hebrews 11:6

Our peace is that we don’t openly seek the worldly things. The Holy Spirit causes us to seek our Kingdom, which means He causes us to seek the well being of others. Our Father causes us to give without everyone knowing it and what He uses us to do in secret, He rewards us for openly.

So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:4