After church this morning, I told our pastor Carlton, he didn't have to call me out in his sermon. When I tell you about the sermon you will know why I would think he was talking to me.
His text was Matthew 6:19-34.
Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [5] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. [6]
Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [7] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
I realized today that my anxiousness(anxiety, stress, worry), especially since Dave was diagnosed with cancer, comes from my need to be in control. I guess I have always felt the need to control things, but at this time in my life I have felt even more of a need to be in control, especially as chemo made Dave sick, we found ourselves having to live away from home...... and there really was nothing I could do about it. I was reminded today that worry is sin.....but it is a respectable sin. It's a sin we will talk about...sometimes even as if it is not sin. So how do we stop this sin? Verses 22 and 23 tell us....keep our eyes on Jesus. Don't take our eyes off of him and look at the cancer or whatever it is that is causing anxiety. If we will trust Him for our eternal security, how much more should we trust him with our daily issues....what we will eat, what we will wear, our fiances, even Dave's cancer. How many days has worrying added to my life...none.
Hebrews 12:1-2
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Amen.
If you would like to listen to the entire sermon you can go to our church website....the link is on the right side of the blog.
