Day 7 - Anxious for Nothing

Well, good Tuesday morning.

Hopefully you are off to a great start to your week, and I'm excited about the devotion this morning as we look at Matthew chapter six.

Today we're gonna focus on Matthew chapter six, verses twenty-five through thirty-four.

Jesus says this This 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?

Look 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?

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

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, yet Solomon in all of his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And 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?

So don't worry about these things saying, What will we eat?

What will we drink, or what will we wear?

These things dominate the thoughts of the unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.

Today's trouble is enough for today.

There's an old song that Bobby McFaran wrote many years ago entitled Don't Worry, Be Happy.

When I listen to this song, I immediately am transported to a place where life seems simple and all my troubles disappear.

Yet this song is only four minutes and fifty-four seconds long, and when the song ends, the worries of the world come screeching back into my mind.

As Jesus continues his teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, he comes to a passage of Scripture that tells his followers they shouldn't worry.

The cynical part of me pushes back against this passage of Scripture.

It sounds good, but is it even possible to not worry?

In light of natural disasters and global pandemics, wars or the threat of war, work shortages, inflation, kids' academic performances, medical bills piling up, caring for an aging parent.

Is it even possible to live free from worry?

While I think that worry will always be a constant battle for the follower of Christ, this passage gives us the formula for how we can win the battle and overcome this debilitating foe.

Worry is the will to control the uncontrollable.

Let's not fly past that last sentence.

Worry is the will to control the uncontrollable.

All our worry and anxiety comes from our desperate need to control what we were never intended to control.

This is why worry begins and ends when we realize we aren't in control.

So, how do you get to a place where you recognize that you're not in control?

This passage teaches us two principles that are imperative if we are going to win against the enemy of worry.

First, we must think true thoughts.

In verse 26 through 30, Jesus tells his audience to look at the birds, to look at the lilies of the field.

The word look literally means look closely or to think about.

Jesus isn't telling his followers to just look at the birds, but he is telling them to think about the birds.

He is commanding his children to think about the flowers of the field.

In order to gaze at the birds and the flowers of the field, we are required to slow down.

When we are in a constant state of busyness, our mind is crowded and bombarded with the troubles of today.

To overcome worry, we must slow down long enough to think true thoughts.

True thoughts about the world around us and the character and the nature of our Heavenly Father.

The second thing that Jesus tells us to do is to commit to the right priorities.

In verses 31 through 33, we are told to seek the kingdom of God above all else, live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

A life centered around Jesus will be a life where there is no anxiety.

This doesn't ensure that life will be easy or that it will always go your way.

However, when Jesus is at the center, we can live with a non-anxious presence.

If your priority is your profession, then there will always be anxiety.

If your priority is your relationship, there will always be anxiety.

If your priority is material comfort, there will always be anxiety.

If your priority is money, you will always be filled with anxiety.

Anything other than Jesus at the center of your life will result in anxiety.

So to recap, we must slow down to think true thoughts about the Lord and his character and nature, and we must set our priorities in the right order, putting Jesus at the center of our lives.

When we commit to doing these things, we can follow the advice of Bobby McFearin and say, Don't worry, be happy.

So our action this morning is this find time today to slow down long enough to take a slow walk.

Avoid listening to podcast or music and just take in the world around you and prayerfully consider your current priorities and what you need to change.

And so, Father, we pray this morning, thank you for the guidance that I find in this passage and the practical pathway that you have given me to live a life free from worry and anxiety.

Lord, help me to be able to think true thoughts about you and set your priorities to center around you in every way.

Today, give me the peace that only you can bring into my life.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Take time today to slow down long enough to meditate on Matthew chapter six, and we'll see you back tomorrow morning for Matthew chapter seven.