Freed from Worry

June 6, 2021 Background Scripture: Matthew 6:19 – 34 Lesson Passage: Matthew 6:25 – 34 We live in a very busy world. People are constantly moving here and there. There are deadlines and time schedules everywhere. The stress of this rapid-pace environment shows on the faces of those in the crowds. You either keep pace or you will get trampled by the masses. But is this what life is supposed to be about? Life can feel like a merry-go-round that never stops. What happened to the “good old days”? Does an evening spent sitting on the porch and enjoying the weather feel like wasted time? Who decided that life should move at such a crazy pace? Everyone who participates in the “rat race” makes that decision. And that decision affects the quality of one’s life. One day during his ministry, Jesus sat on the side of a hill and taught a group of people who gathered around him. One of the topics he addressed is the cure for anxiety or worry. Essentially, we have priorities in our lives that determine how we use our time and resources. When our priorities are mostly based on earthly living, then we become anxious about the outcome. People in this world can affect worldly outcomes. Put another way, we don’t always have control over situations that affect our emotional wellbeing. This is a major source of stress, and it affects our quality of life. We worry about the prospect of having a poor quality of life. Jesus addressed this very problem. Simply put, we need to adjust our priorities. If we make God and His kingdom a higher priority, then our stress level will diminish. That’s because people in this world cannot affect outcomes in God’s kingdom. Everything in the kingdom of God happens according to the will of God. Jesus encouraged his listeners to set their affections on the kingdom of God. This would cause living in this world to be less stressful. Creatures living in this world who are not dependent on people do not stress about life. They receive the food they need without worrying about it. They are arrayed in the finest of attire. And life in general is good for them. They have been freed from worry. Jesus used birds and flowers as simple examples of this. These are part of God’s creation, and He takes care of them. Jesus’ hillside chat is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. It is godly advice for the God-fearing. It is amazing how we can know these principles and still be challenged in our attempt to live by them. We know that it is right to trust God. We also know that God truly cares for us. However, we often have the mistaken notion that we have earned God’s favor. When we remember God’s omniscience, then we are reminded that God knows all about us. He knows our thoughts, our actions, our plans, and our intentions. When those things are not aligned with God’s word, then we feel unworthy of God’s favor. And that’s the point we don’t get. We are always unworthy of God’s favor. Even at our best, we don’t deserve to experience the goodness of God. There is never any need to fear that God will discover some unholy motive in us. There is nothing within us that God has not already discovered. Where there is goodness within us, God placed it there. Where there is darkness within us, God desires to replace it with His light. We must release the darkness in order to embrace God’s light. Then we will be freed from worry. Robert C. Hudson May 8, 2021