Matthew 6:25-34 / Do Not Worry

Matthew 6:25-34 / Do Not Worry 

Jesus resumes the theme of single-hearted devotion to God and deals with the related attitude of freedom from anxiety over daily needs. He illustrates the worthlessness of worry by showing that it is unnecessary (vv. 26, 28–30), unfruitful (v. 27), and unbecoming to a Christian (vv. 31, 32).

6:19–34 Jesus warns against avarice and its corresponding anxiety, contrasting the uncertain temporal nature of earthly treasure with heavenly treasure, which is enduring.   He demanded that his disciples invest their treasures in God’s kingdom, not in earthly possessions  

6:25 The noun form of the Greek word merimnao (worry) used in this verse is found in the Parable of the Sower (“cares”; see ch. 13). Jesus’ admonition here is important because it indicates that there are those who are hearing His teaching but, because of daily cares, will allow it to be “choked” and become unfruitful in their lives. 

6:27 Stature here probably means “length of life,” or age. Cubit then means a “length” of time, not a distance.

6:32 — “ … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”  God doesn’t tell us to stop worrying over food and shelter and clothing because we don’t really need them; He knows we need them. We can stop worrying because He has promised to take care of the essentials.  (Life Lessons - Charles F. Stanley)

6:33 Rather than being preoccupied with material things, our ambition should be to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, knowing that as we do so, He has pledged Himself with covenant faithfulness to respond—all these things shall be added to you.  

To seek … the kingdom of God and His righteousness means to desire God’s righteous rule on this earth (vv. 9, 10).

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Financial Fear Is:  

1. Unreasonable (v. 25)

2. Unnatural (v. 26)
3. Unhelpful (v. 27) - Worry and fear do not produce anything worthwhile.

4. Unnecessary (v.30) - God promises to take care of our needs.

5. Unbelieving (v.31,32) -  We are acting as if God does not exist.

Answers to Life’s Questions

NKJV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible Notes

How can I overcome anxiety?

Matt. 6:25–34

God did not design you to be anxious or nervous. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the crowds, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … Therefore do not worry about tomorrow .…” (Matt. 6:31, 34).

All of us have worried about the basics of life. When we reduce most of our anxieties to their lowest terms, we discover they involve fundamental things: where we live, what food we buy, what clothes to wear, what friends we have, what others think about us. In all these concerns, the issue for believers in Jesus Christ comes down to trust.

Do you believe that you are in charge of your life? Or do you acknowledge that God directs and provides? Your answer has everything to do with your anxiety level.

Have you ever watched a mouse running inside a wheel? The faster he runs, the faster the wheel moves—but he doesn’t make the slightest progress. He does not even have the sense to get off the wheel.

That is what anxiety does to you. You run faster and faster, trying harder and harder to meet demands or prevent disaster—and still you do not have control over your circumstances. So when something does not go quite right, your frustration level continues to mount.

There is a way off the wheel, however. God created you. He knows your deepest needs (Ps. 68:19). He longs for you to end the anxiety cycle and let Him lead (Matt. 11:28). First Peter 5:6, 7 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The word “casting” is related to the Greek verb used in Luke 19:35, when on Palm Sunday the people of Jerusalem threw their garments onto a colt for Jesus to ride. The word describes the same motion: a deliberate action of setting something down and leaving it there.

Jesus wants you to throw your cares on Him and leave them there. You depend on Him for life itself, and you acknowledge this reliant relationship by saying, “Here, Jesus. Take my problems. You have the answers! I trust You to show me what to do and to take care of the consequences.

”PRAYER TO CAST CARES ON THE ALTAR 

"Father, I am carrying the burdens of my relationships and circumstances.  I choose to lay all my cares, all my worries, all my fears, all things I cannot change on Your altar.  Father, I lay my spouse on Your altar.   Father, I lay my children on your altar.  Father, I lay my job, my finances on Your altar.  Father, I lay (name the circumstances that you cannot change) on Your altar.  You are my supply and You alone can move in my circumstances.   I give these to You and trust You with them, in Jesus' name.