Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus Teaches about Worry

 

26 Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

 

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

 

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed like one of these.

 

30 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, O you of little faith?

 

31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink' or 'What shall we wear?'

 

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

 

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

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This is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change the way that we think, and the way that we live.

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Commentary by Bob Pardue

What Jesus Says about Worry

What about my bills and credit card debt? What about my health? What about my job? What about my relationship with God?

 

All these things are important and have to be dealt with on a daily basis but Jesus says not to spend all our time worrying about them.

 

I looked up the word worry in the online dictionary at www.dictionary.com and found some interesting (and amusing) definitions for the word. Here is what I discovered for the word "worry"...

 

"1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

 

2. to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill. –verb (used with object) 3. to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.

 

4. to seize, esp. by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.

 

5. to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc. –noun 6. a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

 

7. a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.

 

8. act of worrying.

 

9. Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox. "

 

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about tomorrow is time wasted.

 

You know, even though most of these definitions for worry are about different subjects each could apply to our own lives when worry takes hold.

 

We do sometimes feel as if we are "moving with effort" as an old car or even get the feeling we are being torn apart because of our anxiety. I know I've felt that way from time to time.

 

Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference.

 

Jesus tells us that worry will steal away our happiness and keep us from pursuing more important goals; especially the goal of establishing our relationship with God.

 

He says a person can worry for years and still not "add a single hour to his life".

 

I don't remember who but someone once told me that worrying about a task is almost always worst than doing it. This has stuck with me through the years and I try to draw from it in times of difficulty.

 

What about planning?

 

As a person who has been in business for over 30 years, I am a huge believer in planning. I also believe that planning for the future helps to relieve some of the pressures of life and thus eliminates some of our worries.

So, planning is not a bad thing. Casual planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance.

 

When done well, planning can help alleviate worry.

 

Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God.

 

Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

 

Plan for the future but live life richly for God today. God is real and worry is something that might or might not happen.

 

Love in Christ

- Bob

Comments are welcome. Please email me with any questions or comments you may have.