Due to human frailty and imperfection, the audio of the last few messages have not gotten recorded. Oops. I do apologize and promise to try to figure out the best way to remind someone to push the button on the recorder! 🙂
But, I suppose I shouldn’t worry about it too much, because Pastor Steve has been giving us messages on the cure for anxiety, found in Matthew 6:25-34.
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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 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? 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.
Last Sunday, Pastor Steve reminded us that when our priorities are messed up, we tend to worry. We choose what he calls “Careful Infidelity” — choosing to abide by something, to put our faith in something, other than God. That is when Jesus says to us, “O, ye of little faith” (Matthew 6:30). Worry is infidelity because we are not trusting that God is in all the details, and that He is taking care of it all. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need (Matthew 6:31-32); it is but for us to be faithful, to increase our faith through time in the Word, in prayer, and in meditation (Psalm 1:1-2).
There will always be sorrow, there will always be hardship, but God is in control. The antidote to worry and anxiety is increasing our faith, with prayer and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:4-7).
It is with the cares of this world that faith gets choked (Matthew 13:22), so don’t have too tight a grip on worldly things. Hold tightly to Christ Jesus. And remember that in Him, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).
This Sunday, Pastor Steve told us that we need to choose this day, and every day, how we will live — will we seek the things of this world first or will we seek God first? Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we seek Him first, above all else, He’ll give us everything we need. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Worry is failure of faith. When we worry, we are putting our time and devotion into the things of this world, instead of heavenly things (Matthew 6:19-20). When we worry about the future, we are borrowing trouble (Matthew 6:34), we are wasting today (John 11:9).
Instead of worrying, we need to hold fast to Christ, for He is always faithful (Hebrews 10:23, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Pastor Steve read a poem which ended with “I’ll bear the sorrow that comes tomorrow, but I’ll borrow none today.” There will always be trouble, trials, hardship, and struggle, but the Lord tells us that worrying will get us nowhere but further from Him. Instead of being anxious about what the future holds, remember Who holds the future.
Have a blessed, worry-free week!
Colona Community Church 