Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
November 14, 2023
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? 27 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. 29 But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 30 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith? 31 Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Good Morning. Praise be to God!
Don’t worry! Be happy! If we could only do that, our lives would be so different. Just think of how much good we would see in the world if we could dismiss our worries. Every time I read verse 34, I smile. Stop worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Truly, each day has enough trouble of its own.
So why do we struggle with letting go of our worries? There are times when worrying seems to be our full-time job. We worry about our families, our jobs, our finances, and, of course, ourselves. When we are worrying, it’s easy to get caught in this cycle of “what-ifs.” “What if I become ill?” “What if my hours get cut?” “What if my car won’t start?” This cycle can be difficult to break because there is always one more “What if . . .” I remember Scarlett O’Hara’s famous line: “I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.”
The best way to shift this paradigm is to give these worries to God. Right here, right now! Give your worries to God and let that weight be lifted from your shoulders. This newfound freedom will allow you to see all that is good. Jesus invites us to give our burdens to him in Matthew 11:28-29. “28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Lay down those burdens and find God’s love, hope, peace, and joy.
Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us. One of our continual struggles is to give our worries and anxieties to You. We are trying! Thanks for being by our side; ready to accept them. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Thought for the day: Release one worry to Christ and fill that space with joy.
Don’t Worry! Be Happy! Pastor Liz
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