Scripture Matthew
6:25-34
Matt 6:25-34
"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 labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor 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? 31 So do not
worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we
wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Familiar with Footprints by Mary Stevenson? I will share it at the end of the
message – but another version was written – author unknown, but has a good
sense of humor.
Butt Prints In The Sand
One night I had a
wondrous dream, One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord, But mine were not along the shore.
The footprints of my precious Lord, But mine were not along the shore.
But then some
stranger prints appeared, And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat, "But Lord they are too big for feet."
Those prints are large and round and neat, "But Lord they are too big for feet."
"My
child," He said in somber tones, "For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith, But you refused and made me wait."
I challenged you to walk in faith, But you refused and made me wait."
"You
disobeyed, you would not grow, The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt."
So I got tired, I got fed up, and there I dropped you on your butt."
"Because in
life, there comes a time, when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand."
When one must rise and take a stand, or leave their butt prints in the sand."
WORRY QUOTES
T.D. Jakes - I’ll give you some symptoms of
a sign that your faith is deteriorating–whenever you face all of your problems
and you trust only your plans to get you out–it is a sign that your faith is
deteriorating.
Max Lucado - No one can pray and worry at
the same time.
Josh McDowell - Knowing that God is
faithful, it really helps me to not be captivated by worry. But knowing that He
will do what He has said, He will cause it to happen, whatever He has promised,
and then it causes me to be less involved in worrying about a situation.
John MacArthur - Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise
and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more
frequently than any other.
Corrie
Ten Boom -
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.
THE
GIDEON IN ALL OF US
In facing problems there is a good deal of Gideon in all of us. Judges
chapter 6 has Gideon’s story.
He was an Israelite in the days before Israel had kings. They were
periodically oppressed by their enemies round about. God from time to
time would raise up a charismatic military leader to govern them and guide them
in defeating their enemies.
In Gideon’s day the Israelites had fallen into the trap of thinking that
because the Midianites and Amelekites pillaged them at will, God was no longer
with them. But their enemies were not their problem. Their real
problem was they had turned away from trusting in the Lord.
In Gideon’s low, depressing times God broke through to him to show that He had
not forgotten nor forsaken them. This happened as Gideon was hiding his
agricultural produce and himself at night in his father’s winepress to avoid
the night raids of the Amalekites and Midianites.
An angel, a messenger of the Lord came to this scared Gideon and said, “The
Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” At first, these words
appeared to be a great contradiction.
But problem filled Gideon answered with near blasphemy, “If the Lord is with us,
why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles
which our fathers told us about saying ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from
Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands
of the Midianites” (Judges 6: 13). Gideon, like most people had a wrong
view of God’s blessings, equating them only with miracles.
But the greatest miracle is what God has put within us. So God answers
Gideon in verse 14, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from
the hand of the Midianites.”
Gideon quits criticizing God and starts making excuses when responsibility for
solving the problem is placed on his shoulders. At that time God gave
Gideon a promise, “Surely I will be with you and you shall defeat Midian as one
man.” (Verse 16).
The solution was within Gideon himself, as it is within us, and when he trusted
God’s guidance and followed it an innate courage and ability rose up within him
and he worked some miraculous defeats of the enemy by the grace of God.
The Kingdom of God being within us means God has placed within us already all
the spiritual power and resources we need to handle every moment and situation
of life successfully well. We must trust and obey.
When Gideon doubted God assured him
with a fleece then overhearing a conversation.
BATHE
YOUR WORRIES, PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES IN SCRIPTURE
JESUS SAYS…
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a
single hour to his span of life?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.
PEACE
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you
peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he
will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
ANXIETY
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him
down, but a good word makes him glad.
Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
DO NOT FEAR
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with
me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Isaiah 43:1-3 But now thus says the LORD, he who created
you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they
shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be
burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush
and Seba in exchange for you.
Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will
not fear; what can man do to me?”
MORE WORRY
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From
where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and
earth.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If
God is for us, who can be against us?
Jeremiah
29:11 For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Footprints
One
night I had a dream--I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
...Mary Stevenson
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