From Worldly Worries to Spiritual Anticipation
How much time do you spend thinking about what to eat or worrying about what to wear? Do you obsess over having—or being—enough?
While there’s nothing wrong with meal planning for the weeks ahead or creating an annual budget, Jesus explains that worrying doesn’t help:
“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?”
Matthew 6:25 NIV
Jesus never said not to think about your basic needs. He did say not to worry about them.
God knows what you need before you do. God knows your prayers before you pray them.
Recognizing your physical needs can remind you of your spiritual needs—an invitation to trust your ultimate Provider.
Later in the same chapter, Jesus reminds His disciples that if God provides for the birds and the flowers, He will provide for His people that much more. Then He adds, “but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
So, let’s seek Him first. During this season of Advent, reflect upon the work entrusted to us while trusting in Him for provision. And let’s not waste another second on worldly worries!
A Gift Worth Receiving
After Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for almost four decades, the religious Jews were angry with Him. This may seem strange, because healing is a good thing, but Jesus performed this miracle on the Sabbath—the day of rest. In the Old Testament, God gave believers a long list of rules to follow in order to stay right with Him, and these rules included honoring the Sabbath.
But in the New Testament, Jesus was sent to change our relationship with the Father. By sacrificing Himself on the cross, He gave us access to a relationship with God—so that long list of rules was no longer needed. Throughout Jesus' life, He shows people the nature of this new relationship. But because it didn’t line up with what the religious establishment believed, they were angry with Him.
In John 5, Jesus justifies these changes through revealing His true authority. By calling God His Father, He shared that He was equal to God. This angered the religious Jews, but it gives us a ...