Nature's Great Lesson

Rise and Shine for Jesus! \O/

By Pam Iannello (my late mother)

A ministry of New Beginnings Baptist Church

What are your top three worries?  What if I took every lady that receives these devotionals on a daily basis and combined their worries into one list – that would be quite a bit of worries, wouldn't it??  Some of us probably have more than three worries each!  On an even greater scale, imagine combining all the worries that believers have as a whole, and you and I would see what God Almighty sees!  I wonder what the Lord thinks about all our many worries?  Let's turn to Matthew chapter 6 beginning with verse 25 and find out…

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.  Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

What three worries did Jesus discourage among His followers?  He discouraged them from worrying about life, food, and clothing.  As a matter of fact, Christ called worrying “taking thought”.  That's exactly what worry does; it takes our thoughts away from God rather than toward Him! It seems natural for women to worry about dying and leaving their families without care, yet it’s fruitless to worry about the length of our lives.  We must submit them to the Lord to lengthen or shorten as HE pleases; our times are in His hand, and they are in a good hand! Ladies, the essence of worry is the absence of Biblical thinking and worldliness of heart.  Has worry been carrying your heart and mind away?  The question is - how far away?

Matthew 6:26 (KJV)

Behold the fowls of the air:  for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?

In addressing our worry problem, the Lord redirects our thinking in this verse.  Our thoughts have been taken away, remember?  Well, the best way to get them back on track is to think like God thinks! We are not to worry so much about trivial things for they are disquieting, distracting, and produce distrust.  Though we understand it is our duty to feed our families, we are not to be caught up with the concern of it.  Should we fret over stuff that God has already promised us? No, this is an issue that belongs to the Lord alone; He has stated that He will take care of our needs.  Perhaps you just don't believe God… Plainly put, worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us!  To overcome our lack of faith, all we need to do is look out our windows every morning to renew our thinking! In saying “Behold”, God wants to turn our attention to a certain small example in nature that will help dismiss our worries. As we observe the birds eating freely, we should take comfort in the simple reminders provided through nature that God WILL feed us.  Did you ever think you could gain reassurance observing the way the animal and plant kingdoms operate? Ladies, there are so many ways that God speaks to us and tells us a variety of things about Himself. We just need to stop worrying and take note instead!  The Lord greatly desires to add stability and security to our thinking.  Every day - all day long – our heavenly Father uses the fowls of the air to illustrate to us His reliability as a provider and to constantly remind us that there is no benefit to worrying! 

Matthew 6:27 (KJV)

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

A cubit is a measurement of about 18 inches.  The idea here is that man cannot add the smallest measure to the span of his life by worrying.  In fact, we probably shorten our lives every time we worry, according to modern medicine!  This daily state of anxiety that we live in is a result of little faith.  Little faith leads to lots of worry.  Lots of faith leads to little worry.  What we have here in this portion of scripture is God's mini-manual for mental health! 

Matthew 6: 28-29 (KJV)

And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 

What fact from nature did Jesus also use to illustrate the folly of worrying over clothes?  He uses the lilies, a beautiful flower.  They appear to do nothing for themselves, and yet God, through the process of nature that He controls, dresses them magnificently!  Ladies, God has given us life, and has given us the body. If He can do these major things, what minor thing could He not do for us?? If our Creator would take the time to appropriately clothe a flower, would He not also show such concern for dressing man? Visualize opening the closet doors of King Solomon's wardrobe; now imagine the rich, colorful, range of fabrics that comprised his splendid attire!  Picture the intricately sown details in every piece of his vibrant clothing, the ornate trimmings that accompanied every elegant garment, and the glittering jewels that were added as a finishing touch to his kingly appearance.  And yet the Bible says that Solomon's wardrobe couldn't compare to the beauty of nature!! This king was not arrayed in any greater beauty than the flowers of the field! 

Matthew 6: 30-31 (KJV)

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

As followers of Christ we should take comfort in the beauty of nature.  God in heaven is our wardrobe coordinator and He will see to it that we are adequately arrayed!  As children of the King, He is not going to dress us in rags!  Do you doubt His provision, dear lady?  Just as the flowers display daily their contentedness in their daily wardrobe, so must we. Are you thankful for that which you have, or is the problem really that you desire more, and thus the reason for your worries. In verse 32, the Bible tells us who worries about such things:

Matthew 6:32 (KJV)

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Those that are worldly seek after such concerns, and worry themselves over things that pertain to this life.  Worry is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere!  Certainly a day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work, amen?  Yet God never intended for us to weary ourselves this way. We are instructed not to worry about worldly things, to be consumed with concern over food, water, and clothing.  The Lord wants to free us up from these details that we might focus fully on the things of eternity!  Would you say you are more focused on spiritual concerns or material ones? Have you forgotten that He's GOD??  He KNOWS ALL your needs!  Have you learned yet to trust the Lord to meet them? As you observe the operation and beauty of nature, remember that God is gently turning your eyes upon Him, upon Heaven, and the blessings that lie ahead.  He is helping you to keep your priorities in order…

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow:  for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

What priorities does the Bible say we should have in life?  Things that pertain to the kingdom of God and His righteousness should take precedence. Holy concerns must come first!  The Lord will take care of the rest.  Our heavenly Father will add the desires of our hearts to our lives when our priorities are right - then and only then!  This is what He does for us when we keep the right perspective. Refuse to worry and trust God, won’t you? What a blessed promise the Lord has given us today!  Some of you might be saying, "Then why does God sometimes take us to the very last crumb in the cupboard, why doesn't He keep our shelves stocked full to keep us from worrying?"  Ladies, the Lord wants to teach us to look daily to Him for providing for our needs!  He wants us to be in the habit of seeking Him FIRST - not the bank for a loan, not our parent’s pocketbooks, not our Visa cards - just Him!  This is the way we combat our worry - there is no other way but God's way!  Cast all your cares upon Him in prayer; learn to depend fully on the Lord. Faith grows each time you seek God's help - and get it!  If you have no faith, I would venture to say you have not allowed God to take care of you the way He wants to - the way only HE can!  If God hasn't been trusted to take care of you in the past, you'll just continue to worry about the future...  We need not concern ourselves about tomorrow if all our today's rest in the Lord!  Stop lamenting and take a look out your window...  What worries will you wholly entrust to the Lord today? 

God Bless,

Pam

Isaiah 60:1&2

Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello

Revised 2004