Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)
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Verse 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Verse 26Look 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? Verse 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? Verse 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, Verse 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Verse 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? Verse 31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' Verse 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Verse 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Verse 34"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Devotion
It is only human to worry about life and food and drink, to be concerned about our bodies and what we shall wear. In fact, there is a lot of that going on around us this season. But, once again, the counter-cultural message of Jesus pushes us beyond these concerns and yanks us toward his kingdom. God knows what we need. But we still strive for the kingdom of heaven. It is good to get our strivings straight.
Prayer
O giver of every good and perfect gift, you give us our daily bread, even without our prayer. But we nonetheless pray that you help us to realize your generosity, to receive our daily bread with thanks, and to seek your kingdom always. Amen.