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I've been thinking about how Christians take life one
day at a time, and the hymn recorded by Bill and Gloria
Gaither with the same title came to mind, "One Day At
A Time".
Don't Worry About Tomorrow
Jesus commands us not to worry about tomorrow.
- "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow
will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble
of its own" (Matt. 6:34).
In the context, Jesus gives the essential components
to living without worry, which we discuss in the remainder
of this article.
Seek First God's Kingdom and Righteousness
To live one day at a time, and not worry about tomorrow,
we have to put God first in our lives. We completely
dedicate our lives to serving Him, above all others
and everything else.
- "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you. So do
not worry about tomorrow . . ." (Matt. 5:33).
When we have this commitment, we rise above worry.
All we care about is doing our best today, and serving
God as He commands. We let God deal with tomorrow, as
we focus on doing everything we can for the cause of
His kingdom.
So with our lives centered on God, unencumbered from
stresses that weigh down the world, we excel in every
facet of life -- as members of the church, in our families,
and in our careers.
Don't Be of "Little Faith"
If we believe as we should, we won't worry about tomorrow.
We'll live one day at a time, focused on serving God
the best we can.
- "But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the
furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You
of little faith" (Matt. 6:30)!
So if we're worried about tomorrow, the problem is
with our faith.
We need to increase our faith with the word of God,
applying it to our lives, growing and coming to the
full knowledge of God (Rom. 1:16; 10:17; 2 Pet. 1:2-11).
God Knows What You Need, And Will Provide
In commanding us not to worry about tomorrow, Jesus
tells us that God knows all our needs, and will supply
the necessities of life. If we believe Jesus, we won't
worry.
- "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we
eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear
for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these
things; for your heavenly Father knows that you
need all these things" (Matt. 5:31-32).
Just as God takes care of the birds, lilies and grass,
He takes care of us (Matt. 6:26, 28, 30). God knows
everything about us, even how many hairs are on our
heads. So we don't fear what people may do to us, and
don't worry about tomorrow (Matt. 6:26-30; 10:28-39).
Sometimes the problem is that we're afraid to only
accept what God gives us, wanting to make sure all our
desires are filled. So we worry about tomorrow, unable
to bear the thought of having less than we want, or
less than someone else.
Again, this gets to our attitude and commitment. If
we're committed to seeking God first, we won't be like
unbelievers who are focused on possessions and wealth.
As long as we're in a right relationship with God, things
of the world won't matter, and we won't worry about
tomorrow.
Worry Doesn't Help
Jesus points out the irony of this whole discussion,
in that worry doesn't help. We can't change anything
by worrying.
- "And who of you by being worried can add
a single hour to his life" (Matt. 6:27)?
Science confirms that worry decreases performance.
Many people spend thousands of dollars on psychologists
and life coaches to decrease worry and increase performance.
But most of them fail, and worry continues because they
aren't approaching it from a Biblical perspective.
Worry can only be eliminated with a strong
faith in God, putting Him first in everything.
As a result, Christians are the most successful people
in life, first and foremost in our spiritual lives,
and also in our physical lives.
Don't Store Up Treasure on Earth
Immediately before commanding us not to worry, Jesus
commands us not to store up treasures on earth, but
to store them up in heaven. We can't serve two masters;
we'll either hate the one and love the other, or we'll
be devoted to one and despise the other (Matt. 6:19-24).
Jesus connects these two teachings, so understanding
their relationship is important.
Because God is first in our lives, we aren't worried
about tomorrow. So we're not striving for material wealth,
because we're striving to serve God.
If God blesses us with material wealth, we're happy
and content, using our blessings to His glory. But if
God doesn't bless us with material wealth, we're just
as happy and content, using our blessings in His kingdom.
Wealth doesn't matter, just serving God, and working
in His kingdom.
Conclusion
As Christians, we take life one day at a time.
We don't worry about tomorrow, happy and content with
our blessings, successful in every aspect of life because
we put God first in everything.
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