Do Not Worry - How to Live as a Disciple of Christ

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, NKJV)

30 years ago, I resigned from a lucrative career and left a stable livelihood in order to step into cross-cultural mission life with my young family. We trusted God would not only provide for us but also protect us in the precarious environments he was sending us to. His faithfulness has been great, and I can testify that He is trustworthy.

He has not always met our wants; neither has he sent help when we thought he should. However, looking back I can see He has never been late. He grew our faith and in the process, aligned us with His pleasing and perfect will. He has answered every prayer and heard our every cry. Surrounded by the rich fruit of our labor, I can say it is never in vain. He richly rewards those who diligently seek Him.

The birds do not plant, harvest, or set up storage for what they will eat in bad times. No. They rise up in the morning expecting provision for their needs. Just like that. And their needs are met by the One who created them. Likewise, we are created by the same God and He says we are more valuable than the birds because we are created in His image. We are concerned about clothing, yet the flowers display how God is able to dress them well beyond our best design.

The temporal passes away and the eternal is of great worth. That is what we should concern ourselves with. The eternal are the aspects of His kingdom that outlast us. He who holds the future has a plan for us that is pleasing and perfect. Putting our faith in Him will drive away worry. God does a way better job in caring for us than we ever could.

We often trust our efforts to provide for ourselves more than we trust His provision. We bear the burden and worry about the future. But our loving God frees us from worry.

Reflection: What worries weigh you down today? How can you remind yourself that your Father, who is in charge, has a plan that is pleasing and perfect?