Luke 12:22
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
The command is spoken to disciples to take no anxious thought for life and body — for what to eat and drink, for what to put on, for appearance and other common needs — and not to let concern for such things become a consuming, absorbing burden. Life is more than food and the body more than clothing, so material provision is not the measure or purpose of life and is not to be made the chief concern. The warning against worry stands together with the warning against covetousness, for a person's life does not consist in possessions and provision.
God knows what disciples and their families need for life and body. To teach this, Christ pointed to the ravens and birds that God feeds and to the lilies, grass and flowers that God clothes. God sustains the worlds and cares for even small birds, so He will care much more for human beings who are of greater consequence and made in His image, and the brief-lived flowers are arrayed in a beauty surpassing Solomon's glory. Reasoning from these natural things helps people recognize the importance of heavenly things.
Worry cannot add to a person's stature nor change what cannot be controlled, and anxiety over necessities reflects little faith. Fear that taking a stand for truth will leave one without provision shows unbelief in God. Instead of anxious provision, disciples are to seek God's kingdom and trust that their needs will be supplied while serving Him through whatever hardships arise. Trust in God frees people from anxious concern and keeps the mind free from influences that depress it and directed toward trust in God.
That trust should free people to use their blessings for others rather than hoard them. Disciples are to live and work simply, trusting God rather than worrying about their needs, enjoying God's gifts and giving Him their best affections. The verse supports a simple, modest way of dressing and draws children away from artificial display toward the beauty of nature; jewelry and expensive clothes and needless display or adornment do not give influence, while a meek and quiet spirit shaped by service to Christ does, and God's children are to move forward by faith relying on freely given help. It is a lesson of great importance for all of God's children, calling those blessed with great light, especially students in the school, to earnest religious interest and whole-hearted service of Christ instead of tame, listless striving, shown in daily prayer and watchfulness and in living and practicing the truth and not only claiming to believe it.