Matthew 6:25-34 – “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”  NKJV

I used this text once and did something similar to what I want to do now and had a gentleman approach me afterward and informed me I had misnamed the message.  He felt my title should have said something about worry not focus.  He might have been correct but I knew then and now what was in my heart to convey and hopefully did so then and will accomplish that goal now.

Many in our present world are fixated on singular things and become so focused on those they miss LIFE.  I know some who are so focused on a healthy lifestyle they are miserable if they fall off their self-determined wagon of diet and exercise.  Some have become so focused on a particular diet and exercise regimen to AVOID deadly disease they spend much of their time fretting over and fearing they might somehow fail and open the door to disease and thereby miss LIFE.  I know some who are so focused on their financial future they spend endless hours strategizing, watching the stock market and other investment venues they cannot enjoy life and some have become so miserly they fail to enjoy the fruit of their labors and miss LIFE.  Tragically most of us have been guilty of WORRYING about something and in so doing we have shifted the focus from God and His provision and promise to this present world and our ability to produce.  Jesus’ words should resonate when He asked, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”  

Jesus came that we might have LIFE and that MORE ABUNDANT!  However, abundant life is not possible if our focus and fixation is on THINGS.  I can’t become taller or shorter by worrying about it.  I can’t become healthier but can become less healthy by worrying about it.  I cannot determine the outcome of tomorrow by worrying but I can alter tomorrow’s potential outcome by shifting my focus from THINGS to God and place my confidence in Him.

Jesus made it clear that WORRY should not be a part of the mental, emotional or spiritual makeup of a believer for its roots are worldly.  He reminds us that The Father knows what we need and if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, ALL THESE THINGS will be ours.  He reminded us that each day has enough problems without adding to them with wrong focus and worry.  I actually had a woman tell me once that she had to worry because if she didn’t NO ONE WOULD.  I tried not to laugh and wanted to cry for it revealed a terrible flaw in her thinking and no matter how much I tried could not shake her from that sense of responsibility and duty to WORRY.  If worry could make you thinner many would be bean poles. If worry could make you taller or shorter millions would achieve that illusive perfect height.  If worry could make you more successful there would be an instantaneous addition of millions to the Forbes list.  BUT IT CANNOT and rather than making us thinner it may contribute to being heavier, less healthy, less successful and more strained in our personal and spiritual relationships.  Therefore let us carefully heed the directive of our LORD and CEASE WORRYING and begin SEEKING GOD first and foremost while LIVING the life He has given through His grace.  THE DIRECTIVE OF THE LORD IS – – F O C U S… Focus on Him!!!

            May the Lord be with you as you go through this day!