Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
When Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow, it is not a suggestion, but a command. Think about it. God divided time into days and nights so we would have manageable portions of life to handle. His grace is sufficient a day at a time.
When we worry about the future, we load ourselves with more than He intended us to carry. Anxious thoughts about the future block us from our relationship with God. We can trust Him at all times, a day at a time.
There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often ensnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Jesus forbids worry. Three times Jesus commands his followers to not worry. For those who are already living in worry, he commands, “Stop the worrying.” For those who are about to start worry, he declares, “Don’t make that step. Don’t even begin to worry.”
Jesus’ command is meant to keep his followers from getting hurt. Worry hurts. It affects people and their relationship. It strangles people. It chokes them. It affects even their sleep. It destroys faith. It leads to a lot of trouble.
Jesus provides prescriptions for a worry-free life. These prescriptions require attitude, life, and value adjustments. These require repentance, a seeking of divine help, and an honest to goodness evaluation of our lives.
How about you? What occupies your mind? Do you worry about the future? The formula to defeat worry is to draw close to God, to feel His presence daily and to trust Him for today.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
SCARY TIMES:
I don’t know about you, but I find these very scary times. Throughout the world anarchy reigns and boundaries mean nothing. Homes in Israel and Gaza are not safe from enemy attack. Islamic hyper-radicals are establishing a terrorist state and killing Christians as they go. Basic human civilities about the dead are ignored in the aftermath of the Malaysian shoot down, Putin is lying and Russians have been deluded into a nationalistic fervor. Our own southern border is porous, but we watch paralysis by-partisanship.
So I wonder, are we sliding into the signs of the end that Jesus talked about? Take a look at Mark 13. “Nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom”. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “You will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear witness before them. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” And on and on the chapter goes.
When will the end come? I don’t know, but this I memorized long ago: ?Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.? (Revelation 2:10)
(Dale Meyer, President Concordia Seminary)
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Saint Francis de Sales said:
Be who you are, and be that well.
Be a person of conviction.
Never be afraid to work hard.
Never make excuses. Never give up.
Never let someone else dictate your attitude.
Never let others dictate your character.
Never forget who you are or who you want to become.
PASTOR KEN WHITTEN’S WISDOM:
Sovereignty is the hand of God in the glove of history.
God always has your salvation on His mind.
Develop your conviction before your defining moment.
Live from your conviction regardless of the consequences.
Remember the law of the harvest.
Just because God is hidden doesn’t mean God is hiding.
Our skin weighs, but six pounds, but what a difference it makes in the culture of nations. It is underneath that counts.
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