Morning Devotional 060824 Cast Your Worries to Jesus

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  June 8, 2024

Luke 12:22-31

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds! 25 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? 26 If you can’t do such a small thing, why worry about the rest? 27 Notice how the lilies grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. But I say to you that even Solomon in all his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 28 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, how much more will God do for you, you people of weak faith! 29 Don’t chase after what you will eat and what you will drink. Stop worrying. 30 All the nations of the world long for these things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, desire his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well.

Good Morning! Don’t worry, be happy!

Worry consumes our thoughts! I have had times when I didn’t realize that I was worrying until after the issue about which I was worried was resolved. I became aware of my worrying because I suddenly felt a euphoria of peace rush into my being when the worry disappeared. 

If we rid ourselves of worry, we have new-found energy to apply to serving God. If we were given a choice between peace and worry, I’m sure that we would all choose peace. Alas, worry is like a parasite that leeches onto us, when we have doubts. Like any good parasite, once worry is in place, it feeds on our anxiety and grows uncontrollably.  

God is willing to accept all of our worries and replace them with peace. He only asks that we let go and trust in him. Of course, this is easier said than done. Imagine standing on the edge of a cliff and looking at the swinging bridge upon which you must step to get to the other side. You hem and haw as you try to take that step of faith. How many times does your foot twitch and start to move but then fall motionless? 

The first step is always the hardest, but once you take it, each successive step becomes easier as your confidence grows. What a great realization this is, but even better is becoming aware that God is with us each step of the way, encouraging us and grabbing our hand when we start to slip. When we can no longer take another step, God will carry us until we are ready to try again.

Nurturing God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We struggle with trust. Instead of trusting you, we worry because we are trying to do it by ourselves. Help us let go of our worries and trust you. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: You need not fear, for Jesus is with us.

Turn your worries over to God! Pastor Liz