Matthew 6:25-30
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Birds are taken care of by 'your heavenly Father' and you're much better than birds. You are adopted children of the Father.
Grass is clothed better than Solomon (a Christ), and you're better than grass. You are christs, anointed to rule by the Spirit.
Therefore (v30) have faith in this: Apart from Jesus you are one of the heathen (v32) - worse off than birds and grass. In Jesus, you are kings of creation - you are a christ, a son of God. So don't worry.
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Not sure if this works entirely since Jesus tells them they should value the Heathen more than they do because God values them.
I try not to worry...but my sin nature just goes there.
Even that word from Jesus condems us.
Worrying shows us just what kind of un-trusters (in God) that we really re.
Hi Mark, ah - just understood your point. Sorry, I was being thick. You're questioning calling the heathen 'worse off' than birds since in v26 Jesus says they are 'more valuable'. Is that it?
I guess both statements are true. Failing to live as a christ, a son of God in God's creation does make you worse off than the birds and grass because you've got all this unnatural and destructive worry. But what makes it so unnatural is that you *are* more valuable than those creatures who manage to live so much better than you.
Hi OldAdam, you're diagnosis is the same as Jesus' - 'little faith' (v30). That's why I'm trying to highlight the indicatives here. We will worry till the grave but if the truths of our status as christs and children of God wrap around our hearts just a little more, we'll know some freedom in this department.
Glen said: if the truths of our status as christs and children of God wrap around our hearts just a little more, we’ll know some freedom in this department."
Amen to that!
If God's children insist on fretting about earthly things, we will be overcome by fear and frustration of not being able to really "do" much about our overall circumstances. Just like the "heathen" who have no hope.
Jesus promised that He has overcome this world and will return one day to make things new. And, we can rest in the faithfulness of His word.