Priorities and Anxiety
Introduction. Since the creation, each generation has been blessed with the same amazing abilities that were given to Adam and Eve. We are all created in the image and likeness of God with an eternal spirit and soul that gives us the ability to learn, speak, think, remember the past, plan for the future, and feel a vast array of emotions. All these are gifts from our Creator. Unfortunately, the choices made by our first parents led to sin entering the world, and no one has yet escaped the twisting and corrupting of our essential nature except for Jesus Christ. Through sinful desires, poor decisions, evil companions, and the misuse of emotions, we all find ourselves struggling with difficulties and trials in both heart and life. Some are filled with worry and other mental conflicts. Others are dealing with the consequences of their anger and jealousy. Many have created great heartaches and sorrows because they have become corrupted with lusts that have led to sinful addictions and destructive behaviors that slowly crush the pleasure out of life.
One of the greatest blessings of the gospel is the wise counsel of Jesus on how to discover the source and reasons for all these difficulties in our life. Once identified, Jesus can guide us into the best solutions. Within the Scriptures, Jesus has “given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” If we heed His words and follow them, then He will also be able to give us “exceedingly great and precious promises.” If we carefully heed His counsel and trust in these promises, then “through these” many solutions will become available us and slowly through the years we will once again “be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2Pet.1:4). We can learn how to use all of God’s gifts in their proper way by seeing the truth about destructive misuse. As we gain the necessary self-control to set them aside, our sense of joy will confirm the power of Jesus words. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32).
This fulfills Jesus promise, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). We will enjoy and have far greater success in our lives if we heed Jesus and carefully follow His guidance. Thus, not only is salvation offered through the gospel, but also great improvements leading to a more abundant life. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30).
One of the things that can greatly diminish the quality of life is worry and anxiety. The wonderful and amazing ability to look to the future and feel enough care and concern that we begin to prepare for it is truly a great blessing. It is what leads many to obey the gospel because they know the day of judgment is coming and they want to be fully prepared to stand before God and be praised for the sacrifices they made in this life. It is the very heart of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). It is what led all those listed in that chapter to move with godly fear and do what needed to be done for their future.
Yet carried too far, these same emotions and intellectual abilities can lead to a paralyzing fear that creates stress and depression. Jesus addressed this as he continued to speak of priorities in His Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:25):
It is only those who have placed too many priorities and treasures on this earth that will be afflicted with these kinds of anxieties and worries. Since “where your treasure is there will your heart be also,” if our treasures are on earth and that is where our heart lies, we will have a much greater potential for feeling this type of worry about our life. The natural consequence of the finite nature of life on earth leads us toward worry and anxiety. It is only those who trust in the Lord and believe that He is caring for us who can avoid too much concern about the future here.
Jesus warned us it is not good or normal for His disciples to worry about physical life. While the word Jesus used for worry can mean “caring for someone or something,” it is not that which Jesus is forbidding, but an “anxiety in face of something, of what may come,” or even worse, “the worrying and tormenting cares which belong to human life.”
When we learn that man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, then our contentment will lie in our faith and trust that God will take care of these things. Jesus illustrated this with a simple question. “Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?” The idea is simple. If God gave us life and a body, will He not supply the food and the clothing to sustain them? God has already done the greatest thing, why would we doubt about these simple things when the real issue is our life (soul) and body?
To fully illustrate His advice and counsel, He selected the birds to show why we don’t need to worry about food or drink. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Mt. 6:26). Birds do not worry about the future because God knew they did not need such concerns. He would make provisions for them. So, while He created some to migrate 1,000's of miles, the instinct to build nests, lay eggs and sit on them until they hatched, yet He did not give them the instinct to gather because they did not need it! God would provide for them. Jesus wanted us to see the birds, draw this conclusion, and stop our worries. Since we are of more value than birds, God will do much more for us. Every time we see a bird, we should be reminded not to worry.
Jesus also warned against the futility of worry: “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Mt. 6:27). There is clearly no value or benefit to worry since it doesn’t change or accomplish anything. It cannot add anything to our quality or span of life. Whether we worry or choose not to worry, the outcome will be the same. Yet not only does it change nothing, most of the things we choose to worry about never come to pass and were just a waste of valuable time and energy that should have been used elsewhere.
Conclusion. Jesus summed up His thoughts with: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mt. 6:34). What a relief! Jesus has made our only real concern today. Yesterday is forever used and gone and tomorrow is a day we have no control over and may not even come. All we have to do is get through each day. We live one day at a time, making certain that at the end of each day we have done as much as we can to prepared for the day we meet God. There is no point to giving any anxious concern about tomorrow since the future is in God’s hands, not ours. If we trust God to do His part, we have the time and resources necessary to do ours.
One of the greatest blessings of the gospel is the wise counsel of Jesus on how to discover the source and reasons for all these difficulties in our life. Once identified, Jesus can guide us into the best solutions. Within the Scriptures, Jesus has “given us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” If we heed His words and follow them, then He will also be able to give us “exceedingly great and precious promises.” If we carefully heed His counsel and trust in these promises, then “through these” many solutions will become available us and slowly through the years we will once again “be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2Pet.1:4). We can learn how to use all of God’s gifts in their proper way by seeing the truth about destructive misuse. As we gain the necessary self-control to set them aside, our sense of joy will confirm the power of Jesus words. “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32).
This fulfills Jesus promise, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). We will enjoy and have far greater success in our lives if we heed Jesus and carefully follow His guidance. Thus, not only is salvation offered through the gospel, but also great improvements leading to a more abundant life. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30).
One of the things that can greatly diminish the quality of life is worry and anxiety. The wonderful and amazing ability to look to the future and feel enough care and concern that we begin to prepare for it is truly a great blessing. It is what leads many to obey the gospel because they know the day of judgment is coming and they want to be fully prepared to stand before God and be praised for the sacrifices they made in this life. It is the very heart of faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1). It is what led all those listed in that chapter to move with godly fear and do what needed to be done for their future.
Yet carried too far, these same emotions and intellectual abilities can lead to a paralyzing fear that creates stress and depression. Jesus addressed this as he continued to speak of priorities in His Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:25):
- “Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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?”
It is only those who have placed too many priorities and treasures on this earth that will be afflicted with these kinds of anxieties and worries. Since “where your treasure is there will your heart be also,” if our treasures are on earth and that is where our heart lies, we will have a much greater potential for feeling this type of worry about our life. The natural consequence of the finite nature of life on earth leads us toward worry and anxiety. It is only those who trust in the Lord and believe that He is caring for us who can avoid too much concern about the future here.
Jesus warned us it is not good or normal for His disciples to worry about physical life. While the word Jesus used for worry can mean “caring for someone or something,” it is not that which Jesus is forbidding, but an “anxiety in face of something, of what may come,” or even worse, “the worrying and tormenting cares which belong to human life.”
When we learn that man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, then our contentment will lie in our faith and trust that God will take care of these things. Jesus illustrated this with a simple question. “Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment?” The idea is simple. If God gave us life and a body, will He not supply the food and the clothing to sustain them? God has already done the greatest thing, why would we doubt about these simple things when the real issue is our life (soul) and body?
To fully illustrate His advice and counsel, He selected the birds to show why we don’t need to worry about food or drink. “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Mt. 6:26). Birds do not worry about the future because God knew they did not need such concerns. He would make provisions for them. So, while He created some to migrate 1,000's of miles, the instinct to build nests, lay eggs and sit on them until they hatched, yet He did not give them the instinct to gather because they did not need it! God would provide for them. Jesus wanted us to see the birds, draw this conclusion, and stop our worries. Since we are of more value than birds, God will do much more for us. Every time we see a bird, we should be reminded not to worry.
Jesus also warned against the futility of worry: “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Mt. 6:27). There is clearly no value or benefit to worry since it doesn’t change or accomplish anything. It cannot add anything to our quality or span of life. Whether we worry or choose not to worry, the outcome will be the same. Yet not only does it change nothing, most of the things we choose to worry about never come to pass and were just a waste of valuable time and energy that should have been used elsewhere.
Conclusion. Jesus summed up His thoughts with: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Mt. 6:34). What a relief! Jesus has made our only real concern today. Yesterday is forever used and gone and tomorrow is a day we have no control over and may not even come. All we have to do is get through each day. We live one day at a time, making certain that at the end of each day we have done as much as we can to prepared for the day we meet God. There is no point to giving any anxious concern about tomorrow since the future is in God’s hands, not ours. If we trust God to do His part, we have the time and resources necessary to do ours.
- “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;’ 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” (Jas. 4:13-15)
- "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7).