DAILY DISCIPLINE #128
By Colleen Donahue
The world says that worry is a normal part of our life. If we are mothers we should worry about our children. If we are fathers we should worry about the care of our families. But worry in God's eyes isn't a normal part of life. It's not a harmless activity that is natural to the human race. If you are prone to worry then listen carefully to Christ's teaching on........
The High Cost of Worry - Matthew 6:25-34
Read - Matthew 6:25-34
Day 1- Jesus, in these verses is not advocating a thoughtless, reckless life. He is not forbidding ordinary prudent thought and planning. He is forbidding worry or anxious care about the details of everyday life. It is such a serious matter that three times in these verses He commands us not to worry. What are we to NEVER worry about?
Matthew 6: 25a, 28,31,34 / Luke 12:22,29 / Psalm 127:2
Day 2- One of the Lord's main arguments against worry is that life itself has been given to all men as a gift from God. Would He give us life and then neglect those things that would sustain that life?
Matthew 6:25b, 30,32 / Matthew 10: 29-31 / (Also: Luke 12: 6-7) / Romans 8:31-32
Day 3- Didn't God make man different from all other life?
Genesis 1:27-28 / Psalm 8:4-6 / Matthew 12:12
Day 4- Jesus tells us to look around at nature and see some important truths.......
A. First from the birds - Matthew 6:26
They work hard but they never worry about a future that they can't see.
B. From the lilies of the field - Matthew 6: 28-29
God gives them great beauty for one day and then in Bible times after they bloomed for that day they were used to start fires. If God takes this much care for something that blooms for one day, would He not take much more care of man that will live for many years?
Day 5- Why is worry so useless?
Matthew 6:27
Day 6- When we worry - about anything - we are essentially saying that in this particular thing we can't trust God to come through for us. He is not big enough to handle the situation. It is incompatible to call ourselves children of God and then not believe in the love of God that takes care of us.
Matthew 6:32 / Jeremiah 31:3 / 1 John 3:1
Day 7- If you are in the habit of worrying it will be like a millstone around your necks. Why? Because it will affect your judgment and your ability to make decisions. You'll progressively be unable to deal with life. Jesus gives us two ways to defeat this destructive habit.
A. Matthew 6:33
We are to seek first or concentrate on the Kingdom of God. This means we are to concentrate on accepting and doing God's will. Be about God's business and He'll take care of yours.
B. Matthew 6:34
Live just one day at a time. Most of what we worry about never happens.
Day 9- The disciples later followed that advice and confirmed it in their own words and teachings.
John 6:27 / Philippians 4:6 / 1 Peter 5:7
Day 10- Worry is sin and a declaration of our distrust in God. It is directly related to what we allow our minds to think about, for we CAN choose what we think about. We need to take back our runaway minds by controlling our thoughts.
2 Corinthians 10:5 / Ephesians 4:17-18 / Philippians 4:8
If we don't what will happen?
James 1:8
Day 11- The best way to build our faith in God is to meditate on the truth about God and his promises to men over the centuries. In doing so we will be convinced that he is more than enough for our own life.
1 Samuel 12:24 / Psalm 1:2 / Psalm 8:3-6 / Psalm 48:9 / Psalm 63:6 / Psalm 119:59,148 / Psalm 143:5
Day 12- When our minds (i.e. our thoughts) are set upon God what does he promise us?
Isaiah 26:3-4 / Isaiah 48:18 / Philippians 4:7
PEACE is the indicator that worry has been banished from our lives.
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