ITS REALLY NOT WORTH IT
By: Rev. J. Loren Russell, BA, MDiv.
Matthew 6:25 (NKJV)
“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?”
One of the most destructive human traits is that of worry. We worry about things that have never happened and in most instances won’t ever happen. If it does happen, it’s usually not as bad as we were worrying that it was going to be.
When we worry, we compromise the blessings that the Lord has made available to us. Worry can keep you from living the life you were intended to live. It does not add a single hair to your head or a single minute to your life. It can make you sick or even kill you. When you worry, you negate the assistance that the Lord is trying to provide by depending on yourself and your own abilities. The truth of the matter is that we cannot control anything that has not happened. Mark Twain captured it very succinct when he wrote, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.” We can influence the outcome, but we cannot change anything about something that has not yet happened. God is able to take care of you and your circumstances in the same manner He takes care of the lilies of the fields and the birds of the air.
Matthew, whom most theologians and tradition credits with writing this book that bears his name, wrote with the intention of presenting Jesus as the Messiah as well as the son of David by linking Him to promises made to Abraham and to David. The context of the portion of this book that I am focusing on, is a part of the famed Sermon of the Mount, where Jesus describes how people should live their lives. Here, he writes that worry is worthless by showing his readers that it is unnecessary, unfruitful and unbecoming of a follower of Christ.
I want you to notice something; all of the things that Matthew lists as points of worry are all material and/or carnal. Our worry is usually about ‘things,’ one ‘thing’ or another. Things have never been the companion of faith. The Bible says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Because these things are true, Matthew records and concludes this matter when he gives the directive from Jesus, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (v. 33) Thus, the conclusion of this matter of worry (understanding that worry is always about things or circumstances that have yet to occur), is to sincerely seek a relationship with Jesus. In His own words, He says that we are to seek after, which means to pursue earnestly and with fervor, a relationship with the Him as the first priority in our lives. When we do that, when we follow Christ’s instruction, when we make ‘that’ the priority, the Bible says that He will add all those “things.” The key is to sincerely seek a relationship with the Lord of lords and King of kings.
I challenge you to stop worrying about those things you have no control over. It’s really not worth it. Then let me encourage you to sincerely seek a relationship with Christ. These two things combined will surely get all those other things added to your life.
Rev. J. Loren Russell, BS, MDiv is President/CEO of The JLR Company, and an associate minister at both Goodwill and Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio (internet), Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. http://tobtr.com/s/7436671, or by phone at 626-226-1448.
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