Don't Worry!

A while back I preached a message on the stress we have in our lives, and as I said, I am as guilty as anyone about over stressing with situations.  I often stress about money, I stress about my house that needs a lot of repairs, I stress about my vehicles, I stress out about my family, and I also spend a lot of time stressing about things at the church.  But recently I spent a week in the hospital and a month and a half down with double pneumonia and what God really taught me through all that time being down sick, is it’s really not my place to stress about it.  I, like all of you, should continue to give everything 100% to everything I do for the Lord.  I should do everything I can for my wife and kids, and I should take care for myself.  But at that point I should step back and give it to the Lord. 

Matthew 6:25-27 – ²⁵ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

²⁷ Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

This is such a powerful passage when we really allow ourselves to stop and think about what Jesus is saying.  Don’t worry about even the most basic needs in life.  Notice, Jesus didn't tell us to not worry about the square footage of our homes or not to worry about the health of our donkey, He went right to our most important needs, and told us not to worry about food and clothing.  You don’t need to worry about your most basic needs in life, Jesus says. 

And He doesn't just tell us not to worry about them, he gives us the assurance.  All summer we see birds in

the air, seldom do we see them falling out of the sky starving to death.  No, God takes care of them, and we are for more important than they are with God.  Remember, God never gave them a Savior.

 

But the final of these 3 verses says it all, because no matter how much we stress, there are so many things we can’t change, and ultimately God is in control.  Stress isn’t worth it, it brings us down and it can destroy our health.  That’s why Peter tells us when things are stressing us out, we just need to give it to Jesus.  No matter what we are going through, no matter how down things seem to be, we can turn it over to Jesus.  Just remember the words of Peter…

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.