Stewardship Nugget #2

Stewardship Nugget # 2

Matthew 6

Do Not Worry

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. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life a?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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·       Poverty isn’t so much not having as much as it is the fear of not having

·       In Haiti and other developing nations it is difficult to get people to share because of the fear that they won’t have enough for themselves later

·       Jesus talked about “things” under the heading of don’t worry

·       No matter how well off you are, if you are worrying about the future you are poor.

·       God blesses and adds no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22)

·       Poverty can be a spirit

·       You can see people who have transmissions and old cars in their yard-they get a new house and still put old cars in the yard

·       There are those who make anywhere they live clean and uncluttered. They don’t have a spirit of poverty and hopelessness.

·       Your soul and attitude has to change before anything else does including your checkbook.

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 a Or single cubit to his height

[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 6:25). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.