Do Not Worry

(Messiah's 23rd –28th Commands)
By Brother R. Michel Lankford
It Is Written:

Matthew 6:25-34 “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? 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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)

Identifying Messiah's Commands and Imperatives

 
#23. 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.
#24. Look at the birds of the air.
#25. Consider the lilies of the field.
#26. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
#27. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
#28. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
Hello and God be with you. Welcome back to our continuing Bible study series on each of the Commandments of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. By God's grace this is my best effort to be obedient to the second part of the Great Commission, where Jesus commanded us that we were to teach believers to obey everything that Jesus Christ commanded (Matthew 28:20). According to Jesus, that is the essential part of what making a disciple requires, otherwise He would not have told us to do it.
If you have not had a chance to look carefully at the previous study in this series, I respectfully recommend that you do so, because this is one instance where the commands are greatly interdependent on each other. Learning to successfully obey the 21st and 22nd Commandments of Christ becomes indispensable in helping us to obey the 23rd –28th Commandments of Messiah, which we are now studying.

 

A Review of the 21st Commandment

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth (or earthly treasure...Matthew 6:19).

In other words, do not spend your life pursuing and accumulating the earthly treasures which we are all tempted to pursue, but that we must avoid chasing. The most common ones are:
1. Earthly wealth: We must not let our lives be consumed or focused on pursuing the earthly treasures of wealth which includes money, property and consumer goods.
2. Power: We must not let our lives be consumed or focused on pursuing ungodly or earthly power. Remember, God may allow some of His followers to occupy positions of power and authority, but if He allows this, it is because He wants us to exemplify His word, principles and character in whatever position of power and authority we may hold. Whenever we are in any way willing to sin against God or our fellow man in order to get the position, to keep the position, or to advance in power and authority, then in that area of our lives and in those moments, we are clearly demonstrating that we value and treasure our own position and power more than we value our relationship with God and our fellow man. Such behavior is clearly conduct unbecoming a Christian and child of God.
3. Prestige/Popularity: We must not let our lives be focused or consumed by pursuing prestige or popularity. The reason we must avoid pursuing prestige and popularity, is because very often what is popular and prestigious in the world is very hostile against God, it's almost always destructive to individual character and destructive to society (Matthew 7:13-14; Proverbs 16:25). Moreover, it usually doesn't last. What's popular today doesn't stay popular very long, but Godly virtues endure forever (1 John 2:17).
4. Earthly pleasures We must not let our lives be consumed or focused on pursuing our own pleasure. As believers and Christ followers, we understand that God created all things (Genesis 1:1-31; Psalm 100:3; John 1:3; Revelation 4:11). Since God created all things including us, He had a plan and purpose for us and our lives  (Ephesians 2:10). We were created to become God pleasers (Colossians 1:16), NOT people pleasers and NOT self pleasers. Since we were created to become God pleasers, we will never find lasting fulfillment, satisfaction, rest or contentment by focusing our lives on pursuing our own pleasures and entertainments. God does allow us time for rest and enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17), but our lives cannot be focused on the pursuit of pleasure because it will never truly satisfy us, since we were not designed to function that way, so it becomes futile (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3).
The best example of someone who pursued earthly treasures in his life would have been King Solomon of Israel. This man had great wealth. It's estimated that his personal annual income would be the equivalent of billions of dollars annually. He had great power. He was King of Israel when the nation's power was at its highest in its history. He was abundantly popular. Kings and leaders from all over the world showered him with gifts as they came to him over great distances seeking Solomon's wisdom advice and counsel. By his own words, Solomon admittedly spent his life pursuing wealth, power, popularity, prestige and pleasure, and what's more, he achieved all these things in great abundance. Yet, for all his successes in abundant living, King Solomon was clearly not a happy or fulfilled individual. He admitted as much in the book of Ecclesiastes which he authored. The point is that it having all these earthly treasures in great abundance could make a person happy and fulfilled, King Solomon should have been beside himself with joy, but he clearly was not, because true and lasting fulfillment cannot come from pursuing or obtaining earthly treasure.

 

Why Not Pursue Earthly Treasure?

1. It loses its appeal over time. Then newness and the happiness quickly wears off... it Rusts.
2. Earthly treasure diminishes in value and return over time...... 'the moths and rust' of this world eat away at it. Money loses its value. There comes a point where the longer one is in power, the more corrupt and less effective one becomes. What's popular changes very quickly, usually according to the very fickle whim of a mob. Simply put, the power, potency and value of earthly treasure does not last.
3. Thieves break in and steal... We cannot maintain or protect earthly treasure without our treasure owning us. The quest to increase and then protect what we have acquired usually consumes our time and talents so that we do not have as much time or energy to contribute to our relationships with God and other people.
4. It eventually damages our heart, our character, and our ability to pursue eternally valuable things (Matthew 6:21). It damages our perceptions and values (Matthew 6:22-23).
5. Pursuing earthly treasures makes it more difficult for us to obey God and receive His blessing on our lives. It chokes out our ability to hear and receive God's word (Mark 4:13-19). It divides our heart and makes it more difficult for us to obey God Matthew 6:21-24; 1 Timothy 6:10).
6. Pursuing earthly treasure makes it more difficult for us to trust God. At a minimum, it also causes us to violate Christ's 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, and 28th  Command in the New Testament. It causes us to worry and fret, which we are expressly commanded not to do (Matthew 6:25-34; Psalm 37:1-8).

 

A review of the 22nd Commandment of Messiah

 

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...." (Matthew 6:20a ESV)

While Scripture clearly spells out what we are not supposed to pursue, it also gives us clear direction as to the kind of eternal treasure which we should spend our time and talent pursuing. There are too many eternal treasure is and Scriptural promises to list in detail, but eternal treasures generally fall into three broad categories with many treasures in each category. Remember that the three broad categories of eternal treasure are as follows:
1. Right relationship, intimacy and friendship with Almighty God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (John 17:3; Genesis 15:6; John 14:21; John 15:14; Romans 8:14).
2. Godly Character. This would include whatever measure we have managed to cooperate with God and to grow in our faith, our hope, and our love throughout our lives (1 Corinthians 13:13). It would include whatever measure we have cooperated with the Holy Spirit so that He could produce His fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-24; 2 Peter 1:3-11). I spent a lot of time discussing the characteristics of faith hope and love, and gave some practical counsel on how to cooperate with God to cultivate those things in the previous chapter, so I won't review all of those again right now, but do feel free to refer to the previous study if you find it helpful.
3. Other people The third broad category of heavenly treasure that will last throughout eternity is other people. Leading people to Christ, and helping people to be successful disciples has eternal benefit to both parties. That's pretty self-explanatory. If both people successfully live for Christ and make it to heaven, then obviously that has ever lasting benefits for both people.
 

Practical Steps to Overcoming Worry and to Practice Obeying these Instructions of Messiah

Please remember that these are just starting points and suggestions to up you get started in obeying Messiah's instructions according to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will fine tune and instruct you in greater detail as you make the determination and begin to choose an act in accordance to the Instructions.

1. Desire and pursue the most valuable things. Do not stress over the small stuff. Do what you can to eliminate the things that cause unnecessary stress. Part of this includes making sure that you first obey the 21st and 22nd Commands. Make sure that you desire and pursue the most eternally valuable things so that you will not be consumed by temporary concerns. If your priorities, your spirit, and your soul are right, then everything else is easier (not easy, but easier), because God' help is more easily felt and is more readily accessible if your spirit and soul are in good order first.

Matthew 6:33... seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

2. Make up your mind to concentrate on what you have, not what you think is missing and not what you want, but focus on what God has already provided for you and what God is already allowing you to use or enjoy. The old saying is true. Count your blessings.
· If you own a Bible, you are better off than almost 3 billion people in our world who do not even have access to one.
· Sadly, 25% of our world (2 billion people) are illiterate, so if we can read and write, we're already ahead of the game.
· If you can freely attend a church meeting and worship without fear of imprisonment torture and death, you are better off than 3 billion people in our world today.
· If you have food clothes and shelter, then you are wealthier than almost 75% (almost 6 billion people) who lack at least one of those blessings.
· If you have money in the bank account, cash in your wallet, or a jar full of change somewhere, then that puts us in the top 8% of the world's wealthy because it's estimated that 92% of the people in our world cannot say the same.
The point is, how much more abundance do we think we need to have before we consider ourselves well supplied, and we decide to be thoroughly grateful to God for pity's sake?
1 Timothy 6:8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Timothy 6:8 NLT)
3. Write your Worries: Most of us are probably familiar with the serenity prayer:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen." --Reinhold Niebuhr
This next action step is all about making sure that we actively put some action behind that serenity prayer. It's all about trusting God and praying over what you cannot change, while at the same time we pray, trust God and faithfully obey God while we work to change the things we can.
When you find yourself in a situation wherein worrying and fretting become a concern, please take a few moments and write down your worries. Try and limit yourself to the top 5 or 10 concerns that are at the front of your mind. Now, please draw a vertical line down the center of the bottom half of your paper below your list of worries. The left column heading should be: Things I CANNOT change; this would include certain aspects of your concerns that only God can solve which are absolutely beyond your control. This would also include other people's thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, words or their behaviors. Sometimes we are in a position where we can influence someone to help them make better choices; e.g. a gentle answer turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1), but ultimately the decision to respond correctly is exclusively theirs.
On the right column at the bottom half of your paper should be the heading: Things I CAN change. On this side of the page, you should list the different aspects of your concerns over which you have some direct control. These will be different for each person depending on their situation, but some typical examples are:
a) Am I actively praying about this specific concern?
b) Have I diligently searched the Scriptures to see what the Bible has to say regarding my situation?
c) In my biblical search, did I find any scriptural commands or principles that apply to my situation(s)? If so, am I actively obeying those? If I find that I'm not, then I need to repent and start obeying.
d) Am I doing my best to manage the resources of my time, talent, and treasure which God has provided for me in these situations? Honestly if I overextended myself and misuse the resources God provided, then I am purposely buying more unnecessary stress for myself.
4. Practice Living in Today. Most biblical and mental health experts agree together that one of the most psychologically damaging things we can do to ourselves is to live either in past tense or in future tense. There is absolutely nothing we can do to change the events of yesterday. Stressing about tomorrow will not help us see clearly to make better decisions (if we even have tomorrow), so worrying about it sure doesn't help. The only time I have the opportunity to pray, to praise, to plan, to choose, or to behave in a godly way is today.
When it comes to the past, it is a futile waste of time and energy to repeatedly rehash, and rehash and meditate on my sins and mistakes. I may want to review my sins once or twice to make sure that I learn what I can, so that I am less likely to repeat my error, but beyond this all I can do is confess it to God, to myself, and to my neighbor (if my sin involved the other person). Today, I can accept the forgiveness that God offers to those who confess their sins (1 John 1:8-9). Today I can prayerfully form and action plan to walk correctly. Finally, today I can begin walking in repentance that obeys God. Beyond that, I cannot do anything whatsoever about the sins, mistakes and stupid things I have done in the past.
The same basic principle also applies concerning the hurts wrongs and sins that were done against us in the past. Yes, my life would have been easier if I had not been born with fetal alcohol syndrome, cerebral palsy and the host of mental, emotional, physiological and learning disorders that come with those handicaps, the list of which would take too long to explain.
Yes, there is absolutely no doubt that my life would have been so much easier and a whole lot more fun if I had not spent the majority of my childhood being emotionally, mentally, physically and sexually abused in multiple family settings.
Yes, life would have been so much easier without those two major handicaps in my life and the huge challenges that accompany them. Yes, it would have been much easier to get through school. It would have been easier to relate to other people, to trust, to overcome life's 'normal' challenges without those added handicaps weighing me down at every step.
Yes, it would be a lot easier to relate to God and other people correctly if I had been wanted, valued, loved, nurtured and disciplined in a manner that was even close to reasonable or correct, but that is not how I was raised.
For today all I can do is pray and cooperate with God to work through each individual mental, emotional and or physical challenge I face, one step at a time as I am confronted with them. For today I can thank God that I'm alive. For today I can thank God that I am NOT in hell. For today I can thank God I'm Not being abused today. For today I can thank God that He gives me the grace to believe in Him, to recognize I really do need His help, and He gives me grace to call on Him. For today I thank God that I can make the choice to forgive my abusers and attackers.
Today I can commit to God all of the fears, anxieties and insecurities that I learned to walk in over years of experience. I can commit these things to God as I encounter various fears today because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). I can commit these things to God as I encounter them today because He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). Today, I commit the fears anxieties and insecurities in which I learned to walk, because I know that as I continue to seek God, He will deliver me from ALL my fears (Psalm 34:4). Today I can commit my heart, my soul and my body to God who is perfect love (1 John 4:8). Today I can continue to ask God to transform and fill me with His perfect love, and He will do it, because those are the kinds of blessings that He promises to anyone and everyone who asks Him (Matthew 7:7-8; John 6:37).
Today I can thank God because as He continues this great work of renewal within me, eventually I will be renewed and filled with His perfect love, and all the fear and insecurity and anxiety I learned to walk in will eventually be driven out of me, because God started the great work in me, and eventually He will complete it (Philippians 1:6). Eventually, His perfect love will work in me and His perfect Love will drive out all my fears (1 John 4:18). Today, I can rejoice that I am one day closer to that victory. Today I can practice doing my best to cooperate with God, so that I don't slow down or hinder His progress.
Today I can thank God that He loves me. Today I can choose to rejoice.
Today I can choose to pray about everything.
Today I can choose to give thanks to God as I'm walking through every situation I encounter (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Today I can read my Bible. Today I can pray about what I read in God's word.
Today, with God's help I can find one thing in God's word that He wants me to practice and obey and I can start practicing.
Tomorrow I will conference with God again and see what He wants me to do then, but for today, I can do those things mentioned above. I guarantee you that if Papa God and I put enough days like 'today' together one at a time, then God will have raised me up into a son that brings delight to His heart, and glory to His Son and Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Please think about it. It's a lot easier to love God, trust God obey God and glorify God if you break it down into much smaller chunks. We can do that, one choice, one action and one day at a time. Now I am far from perfect in all of this, but I intend to keep practicing until I get it right. I can think of no better way to spend my life one day at a time, then to do it in this way.
 
Prayer: Yahweh Almighty God Heavenly Father, Your lovingkindness and mercy are everlasting. Everything that is good in my life, and everything that functions well, I have it because of your provision and mercy. I have no real legitimate reasons distress worry or fear, but I still fall into that mental habit a lot more than I should. Please transform and fill me with Your unfailing Love and drive out all my fears with Your Love. Help me to do my part in reducing distress worry and anxiety. Help me to pursue the most worthwhile eternal treasures so that You can bless my pursuits. Help me to be grateful for all the wonderful provisions You have already made for me, and help me choose not to stress out over what I feel may be missing. Today, help me to use Your provision of my time, talent, and treasure in a way that is most blessed and productive. Today help me to live in serenity prayer mode, and only focus on those things that I can really change. Today, help me to desire, to think, to choose and to behave in ways that will help me grow in loving You, trusting You, obeying You and honoring You better, so that You will be delighted and righteously able to bless me beyond all I can ask or imagine. Help me to enjoy the blessings you provide, and generously share them with others I encounter today. In Yeshua, the Messiah's name. AMEN.