STOP WORRYING-START SEEKING

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Matthew 6:25-33

NOTE the connection to earthly and heavenly treasures. If you focus your life on heavenly treasures, then the logical result is: DON'T 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 important than food, and the body more important 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Jesus first says: Stop Your Worrying about EARTHLY TREASURES! FIRST-Don't worry about your life-your eating and drinking. He points out how God cares for the birds. Worry is natural, but it's also useless. You can't add anything to your height or the years of your life.

SECOND-Don't worry about your clothes. He points to the flowers-the lilies of the field. He says: 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith?

The point here is if God takes care of them, He will most surely take care of you. He makes it clear that worry is not only useless; it is faithless. When you worry, you take everything into your own hands, which is not trusting in God.

Jesus goes on to say: 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In addition to stop your worry about EARTHLY TREASURES, Jesus' second assertion is to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness of HEAVENLY TREASURES!

Since God already knows your needs and is not surprised when something happens (or doesn't happen) to you, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all of these things (eating, drinking and clothing) will be taken care of by God Himself. This is what is meant by "walking with Jesus." It's the principle of plenty.

The principle of plenty says that with God there is always enough; without Him there is never enough! Trust God, enjoy the plenty; trust anything or anyone other than God, and you will surely have a perpetual state of dissatisfaction and dis-ease. When you come to the end of yourself, then and only then will you come to the understanding that God is ENOUGH!

Look around you and be distressed; look within you and be depressed. LOOK TO JESUS AND BE AT REST.

ONE MORE THING: We've been using a new approach lately when it comes to worrying. I think you can use this very effectively. We continually encourage one another with the words: WAIT TO WORRY! You see, most things you have worried about in your life have never happened, so WAIT TO WORRY.