Along the same lines as Jonathan's last post...

I've been using My Utmost for His Highest for morning devotions lately. The last couple of readings have been from Matthew 6, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus warns against letting the cares of this world choke out the one important thing--pursuit of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 6:25 (KJV) states: "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on..." This is convicting. He's talking about basic needs here. If He'd said "don't think about how you can have the most money, or the best clothes..." it would be easy for me to brush it off. "Oh, well I don't do that. Ok, on to the next verse." But, no. We're to "take no thought" of our lives. At all. Not even of these basic needs. For one thing, it doesn't do any good. "Which one of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?" (verse 27) And for another thing, isn't God much more capable of taking care of our needs? He knows them better than we do. "Consider the lilies of the field..." (verse 28) If God clothes them more beautifully than Solomon, how much more will He take care of His children? Therefore, He says, take no thought..."But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (verse 33)

I have a friend who once told me, after explaining a rough financial situation she was encountering, "I've made a deal with God: I worry about Him, and He worries about everything else." And isn't that the way it ought to be? God is really the only one qualified to worry about my needs. I don't need to make myself crazy trying to do His job. My job is to worry about Him.