When Jehoiada the priest died, the king and the officials of Judah disobeyed God by abandoning the house of the Lord. The Lord was not pleased and spoke to Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada. Zechariah tried to encourage the people to return to the Lord, but they would not listen and killed Zechariah. As Zechariah was dying, he called upon God to avenge his death. It is interesting to compare this with Jesus on the cross saying, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Like Zechariah, we must be strong and courageous in standing up for the truth, goodness, and God.

Jesus said that no one could serve two masters and He went on to say that worry about earthly concerns would not accomplish anything. The birds get enough to eat and never worry about it. The flowers are clothed in beauty without worrying. So, will God not feed and clothe the people whom He loves? That is the important point to remember - we are loved and can trust God to look after us. In turn, we are called to love God and our neighbour and trust in God's goodness. We are urged, as Jesus says, to set our hearts on His kingdom first, and on His righteousness, and all these other things will be given to us as well.