Do Not Be Anxious

Matthew 6: 25 - 34

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

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Normally, things that lie outside of our control give the most unrest, because we have no power to influence them our way. However, I have realized in my life that it is things within my control that get me most anxious, because I want to do them well. Now, I don't believe desiring to do things well is what causes the anxiety, but rather, it is caused when my identity and acceptance with God, family and friends is dependent on my performance and success in these things.

I am learning if I truly believe that Jesus is my perfect righteousness, and accomplished everything on the cross for me, then I can freely embrace my failure in disgust, and joyfully claim His success on my behalf.

I believe in whatever we are called to do, we should strive to do it well, for it is a gift we can even do it in the first place. However, the difference between being enslaved in our doing and being freed in our doing is of the greatest magnitude. We are freed to work, and strive for things, when we functionally realize our doing .. a) can never earn us God's favor, for Jesus already earned it for us out of pure grace .. and .. b) is in response to what Jesus has already done for us on the cross, not in addition to it. In short, since we were purchased by His blood, we are now identified with His blood, and not ourselves. It's a beautiful gospel.