Beyond the Weekend: Do Not Worry
Guest Pastor Dan Lian shares a powerful message examining Jesus's teaching on worry in Matthew 6:25-33. We discover how worry has become common in our daily experience and how Jesus diagnoses the root causes of our worries. Through Jesus's imagery of birds and flowers, we see God's faithful provision and care for his children as a good Father. We're challenged to remember that we are seen and cared for by God and trust in his abundance. The message invites us to experience the freedom God intends as we seek his kingdom first and discover that worship and worry cannot coexist.
God Sees and Feeds Me
Read: Matthew 6:25-27 Listen: Matthew 6
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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:26-27
Jesus teaches on a hillside and references the birds, which were probably flying and chirping nearby. He says that God knows and cares for these very birds. God provides their food and all they need for life. Jesus then turns the focus back on his listeners: “Are you not much more valuable than they?” If God cares for the birds, how much more does he, a gracious heavenly Father, care for people who are made in his image?
Whenever we are tempted to doubt our incredible value to God, we can look at the birds and remember the Father’s care. But, even more, we should think of all that God has done to give us life and save us from our sins. Paul writes that God demonstrates his love and care for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins (Romans 5:8). We can know that God loves and cares for us. His love and care provide us with the strength to resist and overcome worries.
TODAY: Commit Matthew 6:26 to memory. As you memorize these words, think about the gracious and caring heart of God, your heavenly Father. He sees, knows and cares. These are truths you can believe and will give you strength in your battle against worry.
