Don’t WorryPrimjer

Do you know that if someone presents a picture of flowers and a burning house, most people tend to glance first and fix their gaze on the latter than the former? They say this is because we tend to pay attention to that which is threatening and harmful. As a result, if you notice the media publishes such headlines and images to grab our attention, and it causes us fear and anxiety. Today, we live in a culture of fear.

God created a world for man to live in peace and tranquility. But due to man’s disobedience, sin and death entered and with it came pain and suffering. It was not the world God intended for us to live in, but it is the reality of the world we live in.

Jesus’ comforting words are, “Do not be anxious”.

He spoke these words of encouragement to a group of people who were weighed down by their share of fears. His words of comfort are significant because He was the Son of God and had the power to help them, and yet He also understood their fears because He lived among them. Today, this is the comfort that you and I have, that God understands our fears.

Next, if you look closely, Jesus begins with, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious”. The word “Therefore” means “For this reason”. This raises the question, “What is the reason for anxiety?” To answer that, we must look at the previous verse. Here Jesus is saying that we cannot serve two masters, for either we will hate one and love the other, or we will be devoted to one and despise the other. Jesus was referring to a relationship between a master and a slave. A master would expect a slave to respond with complete devotion. Jesus goes on to say we cannot serve God and money. He was implying that that if we are devoted to money, we will become worried about money and everything it represents. Also, when we turn our focus on money, we start losing focus on God. When we lose focus on God, we tend to worry and become anxious.

Today, what are you anxious about? Who is the centerpiece of your attention?

Jesus teaches us first to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. By doing so, God will meet our every need.