Matt 6:25-34
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Got an email and since a lot of you are working out or trying to lose weight, thought I would share. You might have heard.
Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow at Wal-Mart, for
my dog. I was about to check out when a woman behind me asked if I
had a dog.
What did she think, that I had an elephant? Since I had little else to
do, on impulse and because I was feeling cantankerous, I told her that
no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet
again, although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the
hospital last time.
On the bright side though, I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an
intensive care ward with tubes coming out of every hole in my body and
IV's in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way
that it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply
eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is
nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was
enthralled with my story by now.) Horrified, she asked if I ended up
in intensive care because the dog food had poisoned me. I told her
no; I had stopped in the middle of the parking lot to chase my tail
and a car hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was
laughing so hard!
WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore
One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, "Mommy, will you stay with me all night?" Smiling, the mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, "I can’t dear. I have to sleep in Daddy’s room." A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky voice saying, "The big sissy!"
Worry
1dialect British : CHOKE , STRANGLE2 a: to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat b: to shake or pull at with the teeth c: to touch or disturb something repeatedly d: to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling3 a: to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : TORMENT b: to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort4: to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxiousintransitive verb1dialect British : STRANGLE , CHOKE2: to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort : STRUGGLE3: to feel or experience concern or anxiety : FRET
synonyms WORRY , ANNOY , HARASS , HARRY , PLAGUE , PESTER , TEASE mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts. WORRY implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.
The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
I've spent an awful lot of time in my life worrying. I've worried about grades in school, job interviews, approaching deadlines and shrinking budgets. I've worried about bills and expenses, rising gas prices, insurance costs and endless taxes. I've even worried about having my home in perfect condition for "company," and within seconds of their arrival, the house is turned upside down and no one even notices.
I've worried about first impressions, political correctness, identity theft and contagious infections. In spite of all the worrying, I'm still alive and well, and all my bills are paid.
We were all worried about Y2K, and the world kept on ticking just like Timex.
The problem of life is to change worry into
thinking and anxiety into creative action."
Harold B. Walker, from Think or Worry?
"Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due."
William R. Inge
"It is not work that kills, but worry."
African Proverb
"Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years.
If something is wrong, fix it if you can.
But train yourself not to worry:
Worry never fixes anything."
Ernest Hemingway
"What were you worried about this time last year?
Can't remember?"
Author Unknown, from Ten Ways to Worry Less and Accomplish More
"Don't worry, be happy."
Bobby McFerrin
"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen.
Keep in the sunlight."
Benjamin Franklin
"I’ve seen many troubles in my time,
only half of which ever came true."
Mark Twain
"If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment."
Charles F. Kettering
We humans get one little kink in our style, or a little off the mark, and we believe the world has just crumbled before our feet. One person in the church get’s an attitude, and we think the church is fixing to split, and everyone is leaving.
1. Worrying Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing.
I don't know about you, but I don't have any time to waste these days. And worrying is a waste of very precious time. Worrying won't help you solve a problem or bring about a solution, so why waste your time and energy on it?
Matthew 6:27-29
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. (NLT)
2. Worrying is Not Good for You.
Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick.
Proverbs 12:25
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (NLT)
3. Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.
The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Here's a little formula to remember: Worry replaced by Prayer equals Trust.
Matthew 6:30
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (NLT)
Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
4. Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.
When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need.
Matthew 6:25
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? (NLT)
Matthew 6:31-33
So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (NLT)
1 Peter 5:7
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)
