Verse of the Day 8/29

Through the Bible - Psalms 142-144, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Good morning,
The previous e-mail was sent out without the text, my apologies.
A few days ago we looked at the subject of anxiety. We have a lot of it in society, in our churches, in our lives today.
Today's verse comes from Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us "not to worry" about several things:

Matt 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? NKJV

When you look at the list of things that Jesus addresses here you will notice that it has to do with material things - food, drink and clothing.
J. I. Packer writes, "Anxiety about such things destroys a sense of proportion. While we are worrying about food and clothing, we cannot be appreciating and revelling in God's great gift of life.
Anxiety also destroys spiritual perception. While we are absorbed with our worries, we cannot be conscious of the value which God places on us. If He cares for the birds, can't we trust our heavenly Father to provide for our means?
Next comes a commonsense argument. You can't change the situation by worrying (v.27), so what's the point of doing it?
Finally, and this is the clincher - as well as being pointless, worry over things is needless. The same God who clothes the flowers and grass with glory will surely give us, His children, the clothing, food, and drink that we need."
Look back on some of the things that have worried you and caused your anxiety recently. What have they robbed you of? What have they caused you to take for granted, to appreciate? How did they relate to the proportion of His grace?
Read the passage. How will it change your thinking, your perception of what is important for you today?
In Christ,
Mike

Matt 6:24-7:1
You Cannot Serve God and Riches
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Do Not Worry(Luke 12:22-31)
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about