Matthew 6:25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Now the crowd on the hillside is really scratching their heads. Many of these people live at barely above a subsistence level. One illness, one injury, or one business loss might easily result in their family being homeless and destitute. Now Jesus is advising radical beliefs, that they should trust God for their needs rather than worrying about those needs themselves. Somewhere in the crowd, there are people thinking, “Well, Jesus, that’s fine for you. You aren’t married, you don’t have a family to worry about, and you can always go back to Nazareth and resume working as a carpenter. Obviously, you don’t understand my situation!”
What is Jesus actually advising here? God wants us to focus on Him and not on all our problems. This does not mean that we should be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. God wants us to continue to work to support ourselves and our families, and God knows our concerns and our struggles even better than we do. But God wants us to remember that He can provide and that if we will seek the Kingdom of God above all else, trusting in Him, He will care for us.
One of the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven is that the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. As long as you receive God’s gifts with open hands, realizing He might want you to pass them on at any point, you will be all right. In the course of our missionary careers, we have given away vehicles, clothing, books, and money. We have provided funds for indigent patients and have sometimes sheltered people in our homes. In a few cases, we have helped families build homes for themselves. We can honestly say that God has returned everything we have done, providing places to stay, feeding, vehicles, and even my tuition at Tulane University. There’s a slogan that says, “You can’t out-give God,” and it’s absolutely true.
What about worry? Jeremiah 32:27 says, “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” Nothing is too difficult, no problem is too unmanageable, for God. A friend used to have a sign on his desk that read,” Before you go to bed, give your troubles to God. He will be up all night anyway.” Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Psalm 37:8 says, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.“ Worry doesn’t help anything so STOP!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You will care for all the details of our lives, even things about which we are unaware. Thank You for Your divine provision. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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