Verse of the Day 3/31

Verse of the Day 3/31

Matthew 6:26-27  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?     English Standard Version (ESV)

Over the last couple of days we've considered some verses from Luke 12 regarding the rich "fool" who was consumed with what he should do about his bumper crop, should he tear down his barns or build new, bigger and better ones.  In today's society, he would be considering should I sell it all now in one lump sum and invest it in for a better return?

Over the years I've quoted from this passage several times, more often focusing on verses 25 and 26 about not "being anxious" or "worrying" about riches or verses 33 and 34 about "seek first His kingdom" and not worrying, being anxious about tomorrow.  But what caught my attention this morning was the how the sparrows in verse 26 "don't reap and gather into barns".  When you observe sparrows and probably most "birds of the air" you don't see them taking a nap.  They are always on the move, always busy, industrious but they don't have barns in which to store things.  At the same time there is no evidence of worry, they don't even have the capacity to do so. 

We too, should not plan on napping through life, we should be industrious but we should also not worry about things that won't matter a week, month or years from now.  God will provide for today, next month and eternity.

Don't worry about gathering into barns or taking the lump sum, seek first His kingdom, He will take care of the rest, "don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?" The Message

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

English Standard Version (ESV)

--   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 6:25-33The 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.