So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33 NIV
Don’t Be Anxious
A 2018 poll of 1,500 Canadians found 41 per cent of those surveyed identified themselves as “someone who struggles with anxiety.” A third said they had been formally diagnosed with anxiety. A similar proportion had been prescribed antidepressants. In the recent survey, conducted by Abacus Data on behalf of Yahoo Canada, 34 per cent of adult men and 47 per cent of women strongly or somewhat agreed that “I consider myself someone who struggles with anxiety.”
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Even as the parent of three adult sons, each happily married with children of their own, each doing well in their personal lives, parenting never ends. They often call looking for advice from mom or dad. They also know that we are a safety net in case of emergency – we will always come to their aid. It’s what parents do. If that is how human families work, this is even more so in the family of God. Our heavenly Father loves us and has promised us over and over in His word that He cares for us and will provide. Here is what Jesus says about this in Matthew 6:31-33: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” God cares first and foremost for our spiritual lives. He calls us to seek His Kingdom above all else, becoming more and more the man or woman of God He calls us to be. When we do, He promises to provide for our other needs as well.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley