Slices
Prepare
Bring your worries to God. Lay them down as you come to his Word now.
Bible passage
Do not worry
25 ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 ‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Explore
We worry about many things – the dripping tap in the night, the door we’d forgotten to lock, as well as the wars and disasters of our world. Worry can permeate our lives and become overwhelming. Jesus’ words, after all he had said, brought comfort and relief: ‘Seek first his kingdom…’ (6:33). This is how his disciples were to live.
When we put God and his kingdom first (v 33), we find our perspectives on life are changed. God knows what we need (v 32). The one who looks after ‘the birds of the air’ (v 26) will look after us. Worrying won’t make us live any longer (v 27)! Jesus then moved on to things in our lives with which we might want to impress others: our clothes or our appearance. Jesus said we shouldn’t be anxious about such things. Even Solomon’s grandeur couldn’t match the beauty of flowers in the field (vs 28,29).
As we tussle with putting God’s kingdom first or following the way of the world, these verses are a fitting conclusion to what has gone before. We can trust God to provide us with what we need, eg food, drink, clothes (v 31). Meanwhile, as disciples of Jesus, our first concern is to seek God’s kingdom, making his righteousness known on earth (v 33). We can trust God for tomorrow (v 34).
Respond
Read the passage again prayerfully. How will you seek God’s kingdom today?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 43,44; Psalm 10
Pray for Scripture Union
Give thanks to God for the precious gift of scripture and how he used those words from Zephaniah to encourage Mission Enabler Jordan.
