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"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:24-34)
You may have learned a song that goes, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you; Alleluia." Simple, but powerful. It's the first thing that came to mind as I read this Gospel passage from Matthew. Again, Jesus addressing money and material possessions; the truth is, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." In other words, if your possessions come to possess you, then you're done. God deserves His rightful place in your life and heart. But, Jesus goes on to talk about God's provision for our lives; God provides what we need, when we need it. Jesus knew the worries of the day, and they're not much different from today. What shall become of my life? What will I eat? What will I drink? What's going on with my body? What will I wear? These and other questions still get asked. Jesus knew that and so He adds how we need not look far to see the provision of God all around us. Birds are taken care of; look at the flowers of the field and how beautifully dressed they are; what do we gain by worrying about such things? What we should worry about, Jesus says, is to be the people God wants us to be; people of righteousness, seeking to be true citizens of God's kingdom right here and now; and once you have those, you'll have all the rest.
Say it again, Jesus: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." And God is with us all the time, even to the end of the age. Amen? Amen!
PRAYER: Loving God, it is easy to fall into a pattern of worry. Will I have enough to pay my bills? Will I have enough to provide for my children? And the list goes on, but stop me whenever my mind takes one of these unnecessary field trips; guide me back to Your comforting words, that God does provide and I should not worry. I need that and I claim that for my life. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed, and worry-free day!
Eradio Valverde
