"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? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:24-27 (NIV)
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:6-10 (NIV)
Why worry? Not worrying is easier said than done for most of us. We live our lives worrying about tomorrow, about our marriages, our children, our finances, our futures. We are also very good at "What if's". What if the stock market crashes? What if the recession doesn't end? What if we fall ill? What if our children go haywire? What if a nuclear war begins? What if I lose my job? What if I lose my house? What if I fail? What if I'm humiliated? What if I die? I decided a long time ago that I couldn't possibly change any of those things if they were to happen and so I thought, "Why worry?" I choose to spend my time on things I can do something about rather than worrying about things over which I have no control. It's quite liberating actually! I highly recommend it! And besides, God says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
So be anxious for nothing! Instead, pray! "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV) If we set our mind on things above, it will be a lot more difficult to worry about things here on earth. If we were truly living a life hidden with Christ in God, worry would be unnecessary, even ridiculous to us. If we spent more time praying and praising and being thankful, we would spend less time worrying.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Dear Lord, Teach us to rest in You, trusting You for everything in our lives. Help us to remember that we cannot add one hour to our lives by worrying. Let us not be weighed down with worry; instead let us pray and praise and give thanks!
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