TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“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 than food, and the body more than clothes?” Matthew 6:25
Read: Matthew 6:25-34
Listen: Matthew 6
TODAY’S MESSAGE
A crowd sits on the hillside, and Jesus begins his most significant teaching on what life is like for those who live under the rule and reign of God. Called the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7), this message describes a standard of living counter to everything the world practices and says is important. Jesus’s teachings here detail what a life following Jesus looks like. It is a new way of living that comes from a new way of thinking.
Jesus speaks directly about worry near the middle of his message. He talks about two things of continual concern to this crowd: what they will eat and wear. As a largely agrarian society, the listeners worry about the upcoming rains, harvest and storage of their food. In a society where clothing is limited and expensive, worry about what to wear is never too far from the front of their minds.
Even though most people in the western world (but certainly not all) have abundant food and clothing, this doesn’t mean that we don’t worry. We worry about our nation, our finances, the upcoming school year and our children or grandchildren. As we do, Jesus invites us again to join him on the hillside. We’ll hear him this week use three images we’re to remember when we start to worry: birds, flowers and those who live around us. By remembering these three, we’ll also remember to trust in him.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Pray with open hands to your Heavenly Father. As you pray, give God all those things you worry about. “Father, I confess I have been worrying a lot recently. I’m worried about ______________________. With my hands open, I begin the process of giving this to you. Help me this week to remember that you love me and are worthy of my trust. Amen.”
2022 BIBLE MEMORY PRACTICE
Develop spiritual roots and tap in the power of God’s word by memorizing monthly a Bible verse! View previous verses at beyondtheweekend.org/biblememorypractice.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
