“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 not life 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 much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 6:25-27
“If you love me you will keep my commands.” -Jesus
Do you love Jesus? We are talking more than words here. We all know the correct Sunday School answer to the question. Of course we love Jesus. What is there not to love? He offers us salvation, healing, restoration, and so much more. Friendship with Jesus is a valuable prize worth claiming.
“They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” -Titus 1:16
Author and speaker Brennan Manning puts it this way, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
When Jesus commands us to not worry about our life, we look for exceptions and try to figure out what would make it ok for me to worry? If watching the news or scrolling social media makes you worry, maybe you should cut back on your intake. Many years ago, I discovered that talking with certain friends that were prone to wild conspiracy theories made me worry. Because I love Jesus, I chose to separate from them for a season.
Jesus commands us not to worry.
Now I don’t believe he is telling us to put our heads in the sand like an ostrich. Ultimately, we will need to interact with the world. But when we do we need to see the world through His eyes. If my body is covered, I don’t have to worry that my clothes are not made by a fancy designer. In fact, in most cases, my clothing was purchased in a thrift store. I am good with that if I don’t worry about what people think. When my stomach is rumbling, if I expect filet minion, and all that is available is Ramen, I need to be ok with that and trust that God will provide hot water so that I can use the noodles and spices. Our God will take care of all of our needs. If we say that we love Him, we must obey Him on this simple statement. Do not worry because He cares for all our needs.
Do not worry about your very life. Submit to God and trust in Him and His ways. He walks with us and leads us to His destination. Remember that His ways are not our ways. Our thoughts are not His thoughts. He knows where we are going; I don’t, so I must simply trust.
Now in this world, you might discover that God will delay or not meet some wish or desire. Jesus covers that situation. Will being filled with worry make your wish come true? Vexing will impact your diet so you will fail to enjoy that meal that He has provided. Fretting will prevent you from getting good sleep and then the bags under your eyes will distract people from seeing the clothing God has provided.
Bottom line: trust in the Lord your God.
Surround yourself with others to help build up your trust. Walk with the King, and you have nothing to be concerned about, because the worst thing that can happen on this earth for the believer is that the enemy takes your life. When that happens, you will gaze upon Jesus and hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
