Home Church: Worry and Seeking
Church was canceled with the cold and snow here (although it is an absolutely beautiful day, with nary a cloud in the sky and a tattered blanket of snow covering the ground). We had home church this morning, where we sing songs, pray, and study a passage of Scripture. It is truly one of my favorite things when the boys are ready for it; sharing with your family brings an intimacy with God that is difficult to describe.
We read Matthew 6:25-34 today, one of the easiest passages to understand yet one of the most difficult to live.
25"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? 26Look 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? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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So many life lessons in these words. Do not worry has to be one of the toughest directives that God has ever given to us. If there is anything an American is good at, I suppose, is worrying. the command not to worry would be impossible to understand without verse 33: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..." If we truly are seeking His Kingdom in our lives and are looking for righteousness (right-in-us is the easy way I remember this, or living close to God), then the context of our lives change. The delighters of our lives change. Things become less important than connecting and loving.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day today. Even with so much going on, with the NFL playoffs and school out tomorrow for most us, take some special time today to focus on those closest to you. Even if you're caught up in the games today, take five minutes in the midst of it all to reach out to those most important to you.
Here are a few of the songs we sang in home church today. Take care.
We read Matthew 6:25-34 today, one of the easiest passages to understand yet one of the most difficult to live.
25"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? 26Look 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? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
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So many life lessons in these words. Do not worry has to be one of the toughest directives that God has ever given to us. If there is anything an American is good at, I suppose, is worrying. the command not to worry would be impossible to understand without verse 33: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness..." If we truly are seeking His Kingdom in our lives and are looking for righteousness (right-in-us is the easy way I remember this, or living close to God), then the context of our lives change. The delighters of our lives change. Things become less important than connecting and loving.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day today. Even with so much going on, with the NFL playoffs and school out tomorrow for most us, take some special time today to focus on those closest to you. Even if you're caught up in the games today, take five minutes in the midst of it all to reach out to those most important to you.
Here are a few of the songs we sang in home church today. Take care.
posted by CC at 12:36 PM
1 Comments:
As someone not versed in the Bible, I wanted to thank you for sharing that passage. It reminds me a lot of some of the Buddhist proverbs about not worrying. I did not realize that there was a parallel in the Bible.
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