Matthew 6:25-34
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? 26Look 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? 27Can 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, 29yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30And 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?’ 32These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Yesterday my Pastor preached on this passage. I am not going to repeat his sermon here nor will I play Monday morning quarterback and discuss what he should have done better. As far as I am concerned my Pastor only preached from his heart the Word of God and it was perfect. Yet, this morning in my prayer journal I found myself worrying about things. Then I figuratively slapped myself and said, “what did I just learn from my Pastor’s sermon yesterday?”.
Worry takes many forms. It could be concerns about finances, family, friends, or future. Some people worry about what they hear on the news and how it may affect them. Others worry about whether they will be accepted in a certain group of people. The list could go on and it is usually what is the most important thing to you. What do you worry about?
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.
What does this mean? Let us break this down. Seeking above all else. This means to put it first in your life. What do you do first when you wake up? What is on your mind? I like to get my coffee started and make sure the cat has dry food and water. Yet when I settle on the couch with my coffee what is the first thing, I grab sets the tone for my entire day. I must consciously grab my prayer journal and not my phone. Facebook, emails, account balances and weather can all wait I need to see what God wants me to see first thing. Reading scripture and a devotional gives me thought for what I write in the journal. I have grown so much as a person and a believer in Christ since I started writing in a journal every day. It helps me center on what is important.
Yet I am easily distracted by my world around me and often my thoughts. If you read my journal, you will see I am often apologizing to God for being distracted. These are things I worry about, and I need to give these worries to God and get back to what God is trying to teach me that day. God knows I am human. He knows all my problems. He wants me to seek Him first and give them to Him.
Why do you have so little faith?
I like to think I have a lot of faith God will meet my needs and He always does. Yet, I still find myself worrying about things in my future. This is where I go into planning mode sometimes. Planning helps calm my worries but sometimes our plans are not God’s plan for us (See Not What I Planned https://northwoodsgirlblogging.com/not-what-i-planned/ ). Yet if I seek God’s kingship in my plans, they will usually go better than my plans. Afterwards I look back and have to say to myself “Where was your faith?” Yes, make plans and schedules, but seek God first in them and not worry.
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Live one day at a time. Start the day focusing on God and give it to Him. Make your plans and lists prayerfully. Prioritize as you feel led by the Lord in your plans and lists so you will not feel guilty if you do not get through everything. With each item on your plan or list ask if this will please God if you do it. This is a way of seeking God first. Finally, be mindful of your thoughts. Are they drifting into worry? Change them to something grateful. Thinking about an inspirational song or verses. This will help you change your worries into joy. What do you worry about and how are you handling your worries?
This is the website for my church if you want to hear the message my Pastor preached yesterday. Click on Live Stream. https://bethanyschofield.org/
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Great post! I used to worry sooooooooooooo much, and I still do occasionally, but just remembering that God has it all covered for me, keeps me peaceful. Blessings!
Very true live one day at a time, don’t worry about tomorrow. It’s something you have to teach yourself.
I start my day reading my Bible, then on to other reading. However, like you, my mind wonders, and I must constantly bring myself back to the Word. My phone is a huge distraction and if I grab it first I am lost for a good hour. I really need to journal like you. Thanks for sharing.
Letting go of worry is hard for everyone! It took me years to learn to let go of things I have no control of and to not worry even longer.. I still worry about my children and I understand when people can’t let go!
Oh! That one would always catch me by surprise. Will try your strategy next time.
I do my best to not worry about things, but sometimes, when times are tough and I don’t know how it is going to work out, I can’t help but find myself worrying. In the end, things seem to have a way of working themselves out, and I remind myself that worrying doesn’t help anything. It’s an ongoing process.
Keep strong in your faith. You are never alone.
This is an important message. I have found that I tend to start slipping into a spiral of worrying. But I have learned to slow myself down and just be in the moment! Letting go worrying thoughts is difficult but can be done!
Worry can definitely take a lot of time and energy out of the “Now” for all of us. Important thoughts!
‘Live one day at a time’ has actually been my mantra as of late. Thanks for the reminder!
Worry is such a thief of joy and living in the moment. Trust is essential in overcoming the tendency to worry.
Thanks for your words. I used to worry so much about the future, but am really focusing my energy on living in the moment. I don’t want to miss the precious moments with my young children. Of course I still have worries, but this shift in perspective has helped a lot.