Do Not Worry
From: Today (The Family Alter)
Scripture:
Matthew 6: 27
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
I've always kind of liked the saying, "What do you mean worrying doesn't help? Ninety-nine percent of the things I worry about end up not happening!". But I know better. The problem is that there's no easy switch we can flip to turn our worries off.
So what is Jesus getting at here? Well, He is still talking about ambitions and what we set our hearts on. So Jesus isn't simply saying, "Don't worry." He's telling us that our worrying is influenced by what we focus on. In fact, if we look a little closer, we can see that Jesus says not to worry about some particular things.
Jesus is inviting us to look at what really is important in life. As a person, I am not simply a body to feed or clothe or take care of, no matter how young or old I may be. Food and drink will not, in the end, determine my eternity, but the condition of my soul will. That's what counts, and we can never reduce life to anything less than the way we are called to live before God.
Jesus reminds us that God cares about our needs, such as food and clothes. And, yes we must do our best to work for them. But what really counts is whether we are seeking God's Kingdom. When we're focused on that, Jesus says these other things will just "fall in line."
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, sometimes I worry to much about things I can't do anything about. And sometimes I don't care enough about things that count forever. Help me. In the name of Jesus "Amen"
From: Today (The Family Alter)
Scripture:
Matthew 6: 27
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
I've always kind of liked the saying, "What do you mean worrying doesn't help? Ninety-nine percent of the things I worry about end up not happening!". But I know better. The problem is that there's no easy switch we can flip to turn our worries off.
So what is Jesus getting at here? Well, He is still talking about ambitions and what we set our hearts on. So Jesus isn't simply saying, "Don't worry." He's telling us that our worrying is influenced by what we focus on. In fact, if we look a little closer, we can see that Jesus says not to worry about some particular things.
Jesus is inviting us to look at what really is important in life. As a person, I am not simply a body to feed or clothe or take care of, no matter how young or old I may be. Food and drink will not, in the end, determine my eternity, but the condition of my soul will. That's what counts, and we can never reduce life to anything less than the way we are called to live before God.
Jesus reminds us that God cares about our needs, such as food and clothes. And, yes we must do our best to work for them. But what really counts is whether we are seeking God's Kingdom. When we're focused on that, Jesus says these other things will just "fall in line."
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, sometimes I worry to much about things I can't do anything about. And sometimes I don't care enough about things that count forever. Help me. In the name of Jesus "Amen"
