Are you not put to shame by every
little bird that sits upon the bough
and sings, though it has not two
grains of barley in all the world?(Charles Spurgeon, "A Good Start!")
"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?
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.
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour
to his life? And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not
labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire--
will HE not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
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." Matthew 6:25-32
Undue anxiety is very common among the unsaved--
I suppose they cannot help it. Yet Christians must
help it; for the LORD'S precept is plain and binding:
in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to GOD.
And the peace of GOD, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in CHRIST JESUS!" Philippians 4:6-7
Fretful anxiety is forbidden to the Christian!
It is needless.
"Look at the birds of the air," said CHRIST:
"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?"
If you have a FATHER in Heaven to care for you--
are you not put to shame by every little bird
that sits upon the bough and sings, though
it has not two grains of barley in all the world?
GOD takes charge of the birds of the air,
and thus they live exempt from anxious care--
why do not we?
Our LORD also taught that such anxiety is
useless as well as needless; for, with all our
care, we cannot add a single hour to our life!
Can we do anything else by fretful care?
What if the farmer deplores that there is
no rain? Do his fears unstop the bottles
of Heaven? Or if the merchant sighs because
the wind detains his ship laden with goods--
will his complainings turn the gale to
another quarter?
We do not better ourselves a bit, by all our
fretting and fuming. It would be infinitely
wiser to do our best--and then casts
our care upon our GOD!
Prudence is wisdom--for it adapts means to ends.
But anxiety is folly--for it groans and worries,
and accomplishes nothing!
Besides, according to our SAVIOR, anxiety
about worldly things is heathenish:
"For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly FATHER knows that
you need them!"
They have no GOD and no providence--
and therefore they try to be a providence
to themselves. Let the heir of Heaven act
a nobler part than the mere man of the world--
who has his portion in this life, and lives
without GOD and without hope.
Our distrust of our GOD is both childish
and dishonoring. I was driven through
the streets one day by a friend in a four-
wheeled carriage, and he, being a good driver,
must needs drive into narrow places, where
it seemed to me that we would be crushed by
the vans and omnibuses. I shrank back in my
timidity, and expressed my unwise alarms so
freely, that with a smile he laid the reins in
my hand, and said, "If you cannot trust me--
would you like to drive yourself?"
From that ambition I was wholly free, and
I assured him that he might drive as he liked,
rather than make me the charioteer!
Surely, the great GOD might well put the same
proposal to those who are complaining of HIS
providence. If we cannot trust HIM--
could we manage better ourselves?
If we are Christians, let us believe in our GOD,
and leave the governance of the great world
to the LORD GOD, our heavenly FATHER, who
will surely cause all things to work together
for good to those who love HIM!
~ ~ ~ ~
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