By: Mike Kelly
Retired Pastor
We’re still in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matt chapters 5-7. And we’re still looking at how Jesus turned the whole of Scripture upside down leaving us in a land where the values are almost completely opposite of those He desires for us to live by.
Matt 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they are? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
We’re told to always note that word “Therefore’ and today, it brings us back to the previous chapters where we are told that God is our Master and because of that, we can live life without excessive fear or anxiety. As our Master, he will take care of us and our needs.
“Are you not much more valuable than they?”. “They” being the birds of the air. Do you have any idea how many people think they are worthless? In the USA almost 2 million people say they have no worth. That’s 1 in every 20!!!
Yet God says, “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (Song of Songs 4:7). If you’re one of those 1 in 20, ask yourself: Is God a liar?
Ps 139:14 reminds us that He made us…he, the perfect being, made us. ”I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well.” You are one of his beautiful works!
Verses 28-30 read “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”
We’re not being told to be careless or even carefree about our earthly lives. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves. The warning here is that we are not to be obsessed with our physical needs. We need food and clothing but to excessively worry over them is not needed.
God will provide for us just like he does the lilies of the field, and they are not all that valuable while we are extremely valuable.
And let’s face it, all the worry will never produce a different outcome. My worrying over something will not make it go away or make it more pleasant.
It will actually change nothing except to stress me out. I need to develop the faith relationship with Jesus that allows me to relax and trust him for my needs.
Verses 31-34 bring it home. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Did you get that “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”? What would our faith life look like if we had put the same energy into our relationship with God as we have spent in worry over our lifetimes?
Think on that! How many hours have we been obsessed over something that we had no control over? I would guess I have done it for hundreds, maybe thousands of hours.
That’s years of my life gone because I was unable or unwilling to trust God for the next thing. And, frankly, how has that looked from God’s POV?
Like exactly what it was: immaturity, lack of faith, and obstinate refusal to look at Him instead of my imaginary giant. “Each day has enough trouble on its own.” Let’s deal with today with God and let tomorrow come when it does.
———————–
Mike Kelly is the founding pastor of Bryan’s Grace Community Church (retired) and Board Chairman of Bryan’s Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and Williams County’s Compassion (free) Medical Clinic.