Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside, Worry, Continued

What are you worried about right now?

Every time you catch yourself thinking anxious thoughts, ask yourself,
• Am I remembering the truth about God?

• Do these thoughts honor God?

• Is this what God thinks about this subject?

• Do my thoughts cast doubt on God’s goodness, do they elevate my own importance or desires?

• Would my thoughts bring God pleasure?

• Are they grounded in faith, do they exalt God’s reputation?

• Are these thoughts causing me to feel more fearful and negative, or

• Are these thoughts filling my heart with courage and a strong commitment to righteousness?

• Would God our Father tell me that these are worthy thoughts for His child?

The Bible says to take your anxiety to God, thank Him for everything that you do have, and ask Him for His comfort, forgiveness and courage to stop worrying.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

* Live in the moment right now.

* Seek to be faithful to God and to love Him and the people in your life who are there right now.

* Don’t be carried away by what might happen tomorrow.

After all, God has given you only the grace for what you need to live out today. When tomorrow comes, God will give you the grace you need for then.

God is reliable and trustworthy, He takes care of His own

--> How great is your relationship with God?

--> Is it just for show, or is it vibrant and rich, personal, intimate and filled with spiritual power?

In God's community, we all are supposed to be giving to each other, to the glory of God, in the praise of His grace. If somebody is not sharing, another person may go hungry. When you read about the early church in Acts, that’s how they lived out Jesus’ teaching. They never worried, but gave everything they had to each other, so that no one was left wanting.

If you link Matthew 6:33-34 with Matthew 6:3-4 you discover that this chapter of Jesus’ teaching actually makes an organic whole:

"When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

As one Bible translation puts it,

"...Relax, don't be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way He works worry about these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

"Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met...When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it — quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out."

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