Dear Christian friends:

During these Wednesday evening Lenten services I am preaching about the theme: Celebrate Life. We have learned that we celebrate life by obeying God's command and showing kindness to the poor. Often people fail to obey God's command because they fear. Jesus Himself understood about that. He knows how full of fear we are. That is why He preached about that in our text. He tells us that we have no reason to fear. He urges us to trust our heavenly Father. If we fear we cannot celebrate life. So tonight we consider the theme:


In our text Jesus says, "Don't worry about things - food, drink and clothes, because Your heavenly Father takes care of you. (Matthew 6:25-30)

Jesus says that God keeps the birds. They never worry about food. They never plant or reap or store up food. But they always have plenty because God keeps them. Jesus asks, "Not true? God loves you more than He loves the birds?" (Matthew 6:26) So don't worry about food. Share with the hungry. Have faith and trust in your heavenly Father. Then you can celebrate life.

The same with clothes. Jesus asks, "Why you worry about clothes?" (Matthew 6:28) We often do worry about clothes. We say, "I can't give money to help the poor because I need the money for myself and my family. If I give to help the poor and the hungry I will not have enough left for myself and my children." That proves that we worry and do not trust God to take care of us.

Jesus says, "Look at the wild flowers growing in the fields. They never worry about their beauty. But they are very beautiful because God takes care of them. King Solomon with all his glory did not have beautiful clothes like the wild flowers." Then Jesus asks, "Not true? If God cares like that for the wild flowers, He will care much more for you, you people with little faith?" (Matthew 6:28-30)

God, our heavenly Father, loves us people much more than He loves birds and flowers. He has proved His great love and care for us because He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. He loves us and will take care of us.

If we live without trust in God we are like the unbelievers. Jesus asks, "Why do you want do like the heathen? Because they are proud about their clothes and earthly things and they worry much about money?" (Matthew 6:31) If you are stingy and worry much about money and refuse to share with the hungry people, you are like unbelievers. That is exactly how they live.

Jesus says, "Your heavenly Father knows very well that you need food and clothes and He will give them to you, if you give Him first place in Your life and live as He wants you to live." (Matthew 6:32-33)

Have faith like the widow of Zarephath. During a time of famine in Israel God sent the prophet Elijah to the widow's home. When he arrived she was outside gathering sticks to make a fire to bake her last meal. She had only enough flour left to make one meal for herself and her son. Elijah said to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too." First she did not want to share with him. But he said to her: "Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and cook that ‘last meal’, but bake me a loaf of bread first; and afterwards there will still be enough food for you and your son. For the Lord God of Israel says that there will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain, and crops grow again!"

So she had faith in God's promise and did as Elijah said, and she and her son and Elijah continued to eat from her supply of flour and oil as long as it was needed. For no matter how much they used, there was always plenty left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah! (1 Kings 17:8-16)

Recently a lady bought $35.00 worth of groceries to give to a family whose husband and father was on strike for two months. The lady needed the money herself for a trip, but she went ahead anyway and bought the groceries for the needy family. The next day the lady received in the mail a refund check from the I.R.S. and then had plenty of money to make the trip. That lady had faith and obeyed God, sharing with the needy, and then God took care of her needs. The same you and me: Celebrate Life By Trusting the Father.

Amen.