“Do not worry about, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.”
Today we live in a complex world. It is a world where worry has become common in our lives. This world is filled with worry and pressure — competing with priorities. But God’s desire is for us to live with the greatest freedom. For when we put God first in our lives, everything else falls into its proper place.
What causes worry? There are many social problems that causes worry like economic problems, war, crime, lack of health insurance coverage and chronic disease. As we continue to age in our lives, we will frequently encounter many losses, causing us to worry. Things such as: the loss of a loved one; loss of health; giving up belongings, our independence, and life as we once knew it — when we were much younger.
All people at some time will experience “worry.” The things that worry you probably will not worry me. And the things that worry memay be very different than the things that worry you. But worry is common in our lives — and we all will experience it at some time or another.
And there is a real serious side of worry. It will give us high blood pressure, headaches, shoulder-aches, back-aches, knee-aches and even more. Worry is a thief. It robs us of the joy that belongs to us as Christians. And it steals the time we could spend focusing on the good things in life.
The solution for worry is to stop living for things — and start living for God! Do not worry about tomorrow! This is not a suggestion, but a command from God. You see, God has divided time into days and nights, for us to have manageable portions of life to handle.
This is why, Matthew’s Gospel tells us that God’s grace is sufficient for us, but its sufficiency is only for one day at a time. So, when we worry about the future, there’s a heap of trouble that come upon our flimsy frame. We stagger under this heavy load, of which God never intended for us to carry!
The point of the matter is, stop worrying about who you are not, and start being happy about whose you are! You are unique — a new creature! There’s not another person on earth just quite like you. When you were born, the genius of heaven exploded and made you a divine original. So don’t die a cheap copy! You are a masterpiece, made from the hands of God.
So, start living! Lift up your head and square your shoulders back — act like it, talk like it, live like it! You are royalty! Start living like it! You are a child of the most-high God! You are somebody! Stop worrying — and Put God first!
Rev. Marion J. Miller is the Senior Pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church, 1201 Thomas V. Bryant Drive, Jeffersonville, Indiana. She’s an Associate District Superintendent in the Southern Rivers District. She may be reached at 812-283-3747 or via email at wesley1201@sbcglobal.net.
