Verse of the Day 1/8

Verse of the Day 1/8

Matthew 6:25-26New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

²⁵ "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? ²⁶ 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?

Yesterday's verse from Psalm 37 challenged us to  "cease from anger.. abandon wrath.. and not to fret."  The anger and the wrath come out of fretting out of anxiety, when it boils down to it they come out of worry, fear and being anxious.  My read through the New Testament plan for today is from Matthew 6, smack dab in the middle of the sermon on the mount, Jesus addresses the issue of worry and anxiety.  Three times in the passage in the NIV Jesus says "do not worry".  He also asks "why worry" and also points out that worry won't add anything to your life, it only takes away.

When I posted the verse, I left the heading for the passage Do Not Worry.  The ESV says something similar "Do Not Be Anxious".  There are plenty of things that we can be anxious about, finances, what to wear, what to eat and even about the dangers of "black ice" after a snowstorm in NC.  Instead of being consumed by these things we should turn them over to God, He cares for the birds of the air and the animals out in the field. He will take care of you too.

My study Bible added, "God makes us responsible for looking after our physical and material needs.  But Jesus urged us not to let worry about these things overtake our minds and corrupt our values.  Instead of worrying about what might happen, we should work toward everything falling into place.  This happens when we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." (6:33)

Looking back in your life, or even over the past few days, were there things you worried about?  Did you turn them over to the Lord?  Do you see how things "fell into place"?  It wasn't just chance, it was God taking care of things.  As for the things of today,  "God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34 The Message.  Read the passage below, may it help you not to be anxious, to worry or to fret.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Matthew 6:25-34The Message (MSG)

^25-26 "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

^27-29 "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

³⁴ "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.