Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
January 30, 2024
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? 27 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Notice how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t wear themselves out with work, and they don’t spin cloth. 29 But I say to you that even Solomon in all of his splendor wasn’t dressed like one of these. 30 If God dresses grass in the field so beautifully, even though it’s alive today and tomorrow it’s thrown into the furnace, won’t God do much more for you, you people of weak faith? 31 Therefore, don’t worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 Gentiles long for all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 Instead, desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Good Morning! Embrace God’s presence this morning!
How do we worry? Let me count the ways! (I’m a poet this morning!)
Seriously, I’ve said before that we have raised worrying to an art form. We worry about ourselves, our families, our jobs, our neighbors, and our community, and when that isn’t enough, we worry about worrying.
27 Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?
We read this, and the plethora of verses on letting go of our worries and trusting in God, and we say, “Uh huh!” before we can take a breath, we find a new worry with which to occupy ourselves.
God says, “Let it go! Let them all go! I’ve got this! I’ll take of it! Everything is going to be okay!”
Today, let’s focus on our blessings and what is good! Focus on the warmth of the sun on this cold morning! Focus on the quietness of the early morning! Focus on anything and everything that makes you happy!
34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We are still working on turning our worries over to you. Help us let the worries go! We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is listening and wants to take away your worries.
Let Go! Let God! Pastor Liz