Dear Christian friends:
Do you worry? I'm sure that we all worry sometimes and think too much
about money, food, health, clothes, rent, cars and other things that we use
or need. I must confess that I worry too much about these things too.
Do you know that worry is a sin? Do you know that worry and attending too
much to money and earthly things can steal your faith away from God? Well
it can.
Here in our text Jesus warns us about worrying. He says
Don't Worry - Serve God
In our text Jesus says, "Don't worry about your life or your food or your
drink or about your body and your clothes." (verse 25) And then He explains
why we should not worry.
Jesus says, "Don't worry because God really loves you and takes care of
you." Jesus tells us to look at the birds in the sky. (verse 26) He reminds
us that God loves the birds and feeds them and takes care of them. He says
that we are more precious to God than the birds. Jesus calls our attention
to the wild flowers on the hills. At this time of year the wild flowers of
California are blooming, especially the poppy, our State flower. Jesus
says that even King Solomon who was a very rich man did not have clothes as
beautiful as the wild flowers. Jesus says that God loves us more than wild
flowers. God will give clothes to us also. (verses 38-30)
Therefore we should trust God, pray to Him daily and not worry. But sometimes
we forget and when we are poor or ill and have many bills we think,
"The Lord has forsaken me!" But God answers our complaint: "Can a mother
forget her baby that she nursed and have no love for the son she bore?
Perhaps a mother forgets, still I will not forget you. See, I have written
your name on My hand. I am always watching over you." (Isaiah 49:15-16)
Also we should remember that God takes care of us because of Jesus. Paul
says that God did not spare His only Son, but gave Him on the cross for all
of us. Then Paul adds God will with Jesus give us all other things that we
really need for our life. (Romans 8:32) God is our dear Father in heaven
because of Jesus, and we are His dear children.
Let us trust Him and not worry. Yes, we will think and plan and work, but
we will not worry or fear or be greedy about money or other earthly things.
If we worry, that shows that we really don't trust God and love Him. In
our text Jesus Says, “Therefore, don't worry and say, "What shall we eat or
what shall we drink or what clothing shall we wear? Because the Gentiles
(unbelievers) seek for all these things." (verses 31-32) The unbelievers are
always worrying about money and greedy for getting more and more. They
don't pray to God and never trust Him for food or thank Him for their
clothes or house or anything. They have no time to go to church.
They only work and work and get more and more and don't care about the poor
people. Well, if you worry you can easily become the same as the unbelievers.
Worry about money or health or rent or anything can steal your faith
from God. The Bible says, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition." (1 Timothy 6:10)
If we worry and trust only in money we will at last be very disappointed
and sorry, and it will be too late. Jesus warns in our text: "No one can
serve two masters: because he will hate the one and love the other one, or
he will pay attention to the one and ignore the other one. You cannot serve
God and mammon." (verse 24) If we worry, we are serving mammon and not God.
Therefore, don't worry - serve God! In our text Jesus tells us to serve God
only and with all our heart.
In our text Jesus says, "Your life is more than food and your body more than
clothes." (verse 25b) Life is more than having food, drink, and clothes.
When Satan tempted Jesus to serve him and eat bread Jesus said to him, "Man
does not live by bread alone, but by every word that God speaks." (Matthew
4:4) Another time when Jesus talked to the woman at Jacob's well to win her
for God, the disciples urged Him to stop talking to the woman and eat lunch.
Jesus answered and said to them, "I have bread to eat that you know not of."
The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant. They asked each other,
"Has anyone brought Jesus food to eat?" Then Jesus explained what he meant.
He said, "My bread is, to do the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His
work." (John 4:31-34) Jesus was more interested in winning the sinner
woman than in_eating bread. Jesus had no time to earn money, food, and
clothes. He had only one robe and no house. He was poor for our sakes.
In our text Jesus says, "Seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness; and
He will give all these things to you, "(food, clothes, house, health, etc.)
(verse 33)
Our chief purpose in life is to know about God's kingdom - how we can join
that and serve God in that kingdom. We need to become good and right, like
Jesus through faith in Him who loved us and died on the cross for us that
we can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. God's kingdom is the true
riches, not money, food, clothes or beautiful houses. Also we need to
improve in loving others like God loves them. The Bible says, "Be ye kind,
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32) We should not be jealous
of others and compete with them. If we do that we are the same as unbelievers.
We should love others and worry about them: do they have enough to
eat? Do they know Jesus?
Don't worry and serve mammon; trust God and serve Him! You will not be
sorry.
Amen.