Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
February 15, 2023
Read 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, Seek ye first the kingdom of God!
Here we are: we are back to talking about worry. I have noticed a new characteristic of worry. Have you ever noticed that sometimes you are unaware of your worry until after the situation has been resolved? Suddenly you feel great and you realize how much of your energy was filled with worry. I found myself thinking, “wow, that was bothering me more than I realized!”
Our worry and anxiety can be manifested in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual ways. Sleep patterns are often an indicator of worry! In times of trouble and distress, many find that even though they are exhausted both physically and mentally they have restless nights of sleep as they toss and turn throughout the night. During times of worry, our emotions seem to be like a roller coaster as we ride out the storms of life. Sometimes we have spiritual worries spurred by moments of doubt when we question our faith.
It seems that we often treat the symptoms of worry and not the actual root of the problem. Think about all of the sleep remedies on the shelves of our stores. We might change our diet and include mindfulness activities to improve our emotional well-being. We even turn to reading Scripture and praying in times of trouble. All of these measures will bring us some comfort, but perhaps we are just masking the problem. As the effectiveness of our “cures” wane, we are right back in the midst of another bout of worry and anxiety.
So what can we do: treat the problem, not the symptoms. Jesus calls us to give our worries and anxiety to him. Only when we release all of those things that trouble us, will we have room for the love, peace, and joy of Jesus to enter our beings. You can’t add water to a full glass without dumping out what is already there. Just like that moment when you realize that you feel great because the stress is gone, Jesus is waiting to provide us with eternal peace.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28
1 Peter 5:7 AMP (Amplified Bible-the words in brackets are an expansion of the idea-the read between the lines thoughts.)
casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].
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.
Giving your worries and anxieties to Jesus is the cure for the problem. Without the problem, our symptoms are gone. If we only read the words and say the words, we are missing the meaning. Part of reading Scripture and praying is the interactive exchange during which we commune with God and empty ourselves of earthly things and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with divine blessings.
Loving God, Thank You for being with us. Help us accept your blessings in exchange for the burdens that you receive from us. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: “Do not fear, [the Lord] will help you” (Isa. 41:13, NRSV).
Lay Your Burdens Down! Pastor Liz