3.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• Jesus teaches us to let worry go out of our lives.
• When we focus on ourselves, then our lives are filled with worry.
• Instead of focusing on ourselves, we should look to God, our heavenly Father who cares for us.
• We should also seek God’s will (his kingdom and righteousness) in everything.

3.2 Matthew 6:25-34←⤒🔗

^6:25 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing?

^6:26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?

^6:27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life?

^6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin.

^6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these!

^6:30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won’t he clothe you even more, you people of little faith?

^6:31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’

^6:32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

^6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

^6:34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

© NET Bible

3.3 Let the worry out!←⤒🔗

Have you ever blown up a balloon until it pops? That is what it is like to worry or be anxious. Worry can fill your life until it destroys you. That is why it is very important to let worry go out of your life! This can be a slow process. When there is too much air in a balloon, the answer is not to burst the balloon. Yes, the air will be out, but the balloon will also be destroyed. You should rather let the air escape slowly from the balloon…

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us how to let worry escape from our life. Jesus does not tell us, “Just stop worrying and go on with your life!” He tells us why we should not worry, and how we can stop worrying. If we follow his teaching, then worry will slowly escape from our lives. We will be free to live.

Jesus knows that there are many things in this world that can make us worry. He experienced all of these things! But he still tells us three times in Matthew 6:25-34, “Do not worry.” Maybe you think that it is impossible to stop worrying. There are many people who lie awake at night with worry, even fear. Their worry even turns into panic. Maybe you are one of those people, or you know people like that. Jesus’ command, “Do not worry,” is also for you. Through God’s grace, it is possible for his children to stop worrying.

3.4 Focus less on yourself←⤒🔗

Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Many times, this is the problem with worry: it is all about YOU! You are thinking about your life, what you will eat or drink, your body, and your future.

When you think like this, then you fill your life with worry, like a balloon is filled with air. You think that you must take care of everything. You think that you must be in control. You become stressed. You forget that you cannot even add one hour to

 3.5 Look to your heavenly Father←⤒🔗

But because Jesus Christ died for your sins, God became your Father. He is your heavenly Father who is in control of everything and who loves you. Think about God and the good things that he does. Think about how he cares for the birds. Think about how he cares for the plants of the field (verse 26-30). Think about how he cares for you (verses 26-30).

You are more important to God than the birds, because he made you in his image! God knows what you need even before you ask him (verse 32). He always holds you in his hands. Remember this every day and praise him for his goodness to you. This is the first way to make worry go out of your life.

3.6 Seek God’s will←⤒🔗

When you focus on God, you will also think more about what God wants. That is why Jesus says: “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” God’s kingdom is everywhere where he is honoured as king. When you seek God’s kingdom, it means that you try to honour him in your whole life. It also means that you try to help other people to know God as their king. God’s kingdom must be the most important thing in your life! God’s righteousness means: God’s will. You must always ask yourself: “What does God want in this situation?”

What are you thinking about the most? Are you thinking about your heavenly Father, and how he cares for you? Are you thinking about his kingdom and righteousness? Or are you thinking about the things of your own life, and how you can be happy? Choose every day to look to your heavenly Father and seek his will. Then your worry will disappear, just like air that goes out from a balloon.

Jesus says at the end of our passage, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” God wants us to trust him for tomorrow, and to serve him today.