Worry............not

Matthew 6: 24-34


Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

The twin sisters of fear and worry can't exist in the presence of Christ.

Yet they are always slithering around...waiting for a small chink in our heart or mind...and then they team up to draw our attention to ourselves. We then become preoccupied with our ability (or lack of ability) to toil and work to provide for our life and safety. Or if we consider ourselves fairly well "set" we may focus upon sustaining our security.

It seems inevitable that each of us who lives any length of time on this earth is faced (at some point or another) with a situation that threatens mental, physical, or economic security. With the current financial trends...the increased cost of food and fuel...the pressure is indeed increasing. Most households are making new choices and adjusting priorities to accommodate these shifts. In the presence of worldly needs, our peace of mind, soul and heart can be jolted. Fear and Worry can take hold.

Consumed by these two forces, our relationships with others and our personal health and stability can erode. We may wallow in fear and worry...and as long as we wallow, we are not attending to the loving call of the Lord. Over time, the cycle of fear and worry is self perpetuating, taking on a life of its own.

We need to make a choice to stop that! Peace....Be Still!

Consider this....most of the time everything that you need to get through any given moment is right before you. In the presence of the one who knows you most deeply and who bathes your heart, mind and soul in peace, all of the facts, figures and details of whatever is going on in your "world" must release their hold.

Do not worry about your life. The Lord knows what you need most. Worry and fear may contaminate prayer time when we get stuck in the process of chattering about the magnitude of our problems.

Rather than telling God how large your problems are, try telling your problems how vast and large and loving and wise and powerful GOD IS.

As you trust...the din of chaotic thoughts will settle. In the peace of His presence, fresh possibilities may appear, new horizons that are centered in God's direction will open.

The heavenly Father knows much more about what you need "most" than you will ever know yourself....and lavishes it upon you!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhh.....thank you!