Jump Start # 3497

Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Our verse today, coming from the Lord’s grand sermon on the mount, ends a section about worry. Five times the Lord tells His followers not to worry. Worry doesn’t accomplish anything positive. Worry gets our heart and feelings all tied up in knots. We lose sleep and can’t eat, because we are worried. Worry stops progress and freezes us in our tracks. ‘Worried to death,’ while likely not a technical medical condition, is certainly something very real.

In our verse, Jesus identifies one of the great causes of worry, the unknown. That’s what tomorrow is. It is unknown. What will happen tomorrow? What kind of day will tomorrow bring? And, while we are waiting for the unknown, our minds play tricks on us. We tend to think the worse. A school test, the results could determine if you qualify for a scholarship, get on the honor roll or can be accepted into a program. A lot lies on that test. We study. We do our best. And, then we must wait. And, wait. And, wait. And, while we are waiting, our minds become worried.

Or, for others, it’s a medical test. Positive or negative. Will I have to have surgery or not? Do I have cancer or not? The blood tests were taken. Scans were made. And, now one waits. And, they wait. And, they wait. And, while you are waiting, your mind becomes worried.

Or, you have applied for a new job. You have filled out the forms. You’ve had an interview. More applicants are going to be looked at. A promise, ‘We’ll back with you,’ is given. And, you wait. And, wait. And, wait. And, while waiting, you mind becomes worried.

We want the answers today. But, we must wait until tomorrow. Wait and wait and wait. And, while we wait, we worry. What if the answers are not good? What if it’s the worst possible news? And, with each negative thought, the worry builds in our minds.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, while worrying about tomorrow, we mess up today. We lose power, progress and even focus. We become so concerned about tomorrow that we don’t see today. We miss opportunities. Opportunities to shine our light. Opportunities to encourage. Opportunities to grow. We try to live out tomorrow, but we can’t, because it’s tomorrow.

Second, Jesus reminds us that tomorrow will take care of itself. By tomorrow, things may change. By tomorrow, I may feel and see things differently. By tomorrow, what I was worried about, I didn’t need to worry about.

Tucked in these verses are two thoughts that we know and our expressed throughout the Scriptures. First, is faith. Trust God. Has God ever let you down? Has God ever not been there for you? Why should things be different this time? The greater your faith, the less you will fear and worry. Faith and worry are not good roommates. One will kick the other out. The greater the worry, the less the faith. The greater the faith, the less the worry. Second, although not stated here, but what we know, is pray. Worry is doing nothing. Worry is trying to carry your burdens yourself. Worry looks to the problem and that’s all it sees. Faith leads us to God. Pray about what bothers you. Pray that the Lord will help you. Pray and then let the Lord take it over. Pray that your eyes can see what the Lord wants you to see. Peter says to cast all your anxiety upon God because He cares for you.

Tomorrow will take care of itself, because today you have prayed about it. Today, you have turned it over to the Lord. Today, you are trusting the Lord.

Third, each day has enough to keep us busy. Each day has enough trouble, Jesus says. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a person complain, “There’s just not enough problems today.” Or, “I wish more things would go wrong today.” Nope. Never heard that before. Today’s troubles—weather, traffic, temptation, family, health, finances, co-workers, demands at work, things breaking at home, wars, elections, politics, economy, crime, bills, obligations, commitments, to do lists, tired, bored, angry, busy—and on and on the list grows for today. Today has enough trouble. Today you’ll need all your faith, prayers and energy to get through. Today is where you live. Tomorrow may not happen.

Today and Tomorrow. Keeping those two straight is essential. And, when we do it right, we’ll have less worry in our hearts. Our Lord knew. Now, if we will only know as well.

Roger

Jump Start # 3352

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I have a regular morning routine. I’m not thrilled about it, but it is just the way it is. Early, around 5 AM our cat walks across me and starts crying. He does that until I am awake. He is persistent until I get up. I go to the basement and give him some food. And, since I am up, I usually stay up and start the day. This morning, same routine. But when I walked into the basement to feed him, I stepped in water. Water was everywhere. It wasn’t deep, but it covered a big part of the basement. Mops, rags, buckets and moving furniture began the day. A big rug had to be carried outside to dry. Fans were placed to dry out the floors. When I went to bed last night, I didn’t expect the next morning to start this way.

And, that leads to our passage today. Each day has enough problems. And, if you run out of problems of your own, there are enough in the community, the nation or the church family to fill your mind and worry your heart. My problems with the water heater was more of an inconvenience and an expense. Nothing was ruined and I had to adjust what I had planned to do.

For others, the day begins much, much more serious. A car accident. A run to the hospital. A loss of a job. A child that didn’t come home last night. Another medical scan. Another chemo treatment. A family member in prison. A storm destroys your home. An appointment with the funeral home to make arrangements for later in the week. Water on the floor is a problem, but it’s not nearly the trouble that some are facing today.

Some thoughts for us:

First, most often trouble comes unannounced. You don’t receive a text stating that tomorrow your car won’t start. It just happens. And, when trouble comes, you must make adjustments. What you had planned suddenly becomes unplanned. James says, “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow”. We think we do. We make plans according to how we think it will be. But things happen. Things break. People let us down. Things beyond our control, controls us.

How can one prepare for the unannounced troubles in life? First, catch your breath and don’t make inconveniences more of a problem than what they are. Some things are big. Others are not. Second, build an emergency fund so when emergencies happen you can fund them. Third, do your best to keep your house in order, as Hezekiah was told. Get a will. Have your important papers all in one place and tell others where they are. Fourth, pray. There are some really big things in life. That’s when you especially need God’s help. As you are racing towards that hospital, be praying hard.

Second, troubles remind us that we do not sit in the center of the universe. As much as we want to be in charge, most times we are not. We can’t control the weather. Schedule a picnic or an outdoor wedding and you best have option B in mind, because it might rain. There are those who seem to be very flexible like the ole’ Gumby toy. Others aren’t. And for those who don’t do well with change, troubles will bother them the most. And, what happens is that inconveniences become major problems and major problems nearly shut the person completely down.

Third, troubles often do not come one at a time. They are not like airplanes circling an airport waiting their turn to land. One plane lands, clears the runway then the next plane lands. One at a time. Nice and neat. Troubles are not airplanes and life is not an runway. Troubles at home. Troubles at work. Troubles at church. Financial troubles. Health troubles. Neighborhood troubles. And those problems can hand on your front porch all at the same time.

This is where knowing how to prioritize is important. Focus on the big stuff. Keep close to the Lord. Not everything can be fixed in a day. When dealing with people, some will not see what you do, nor feel the way you do about things. Don’t be overwhelmed. Give your burdens to the Lord. Open your heart and your door and allow others to help. That’s what fellowship is about. Lean on one another.

Finally, don’t borrow troubles from others or from tomorrow. That’s what our passage states. Each day has enough troubles. You don’t need any more. You will see other people with troubles and you may not like how they are handling them. You may do things differently. Be careful and cautious about jumping in where you do not belong. Taking on the troubles of others can trouble your life. Respect boundaries. Offer help but if it is turned down, don’t keep pushing yourself on others.

Each day…wonder what tomorrow will be like? Don’t worry about it. Just get through today.

Roger

Jump Start # 2556

Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

One of the hymns that we sing begins with the words, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear.” Troublesome times. The song doesn’t say troublesome times are some day. Nor does it say, we might have a bit of troublesome times in the future. No. It’s troublesome times are here. We are in it. It’s arrived. Like it or not, troublesome times have come. I’ve never seen a song leader lead that song and then followed with the song, “I’m happy today.” I’m happy today and troublesome times just do not make a good match. And, troublesome times are what we are in now. Gas is cheap but there’s no place to go. Schools are out. Stores are closed. People are working from home. Restaurants only serve take out. Grocery stores are out of so many items. Even congregations are not assembling. The experts keep telling us that things will get worse before they get better. Troublesome times, they are here.

Our verse today is taken from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. In this unit the Lord is telling His audience not to be anxious or worried. Five times the word “worry” or “worried” is used. Here is a summation of what the Lord says:

• Do not worry (15, 31, 34)
• Worry cannot accomplish what you want (27)?
• Why do you worry (28)?

Worry steals our sleep. It ruins our appetite. It invites doubt, fear and unwholesome thoughts. Worry never leads to good things. And, as the Lord teaches throughout this section, worry pushes faith out of our hearts. The more worry we have, the less faith there is. And, the opposite is just as true. The stronger our faith, the less we worry.

In the verses leading up to our passage today, the Lord talked about worrying about food and clothing. Now, in our verse, the Lord centers upon one of the greatest aspects of worry—tomorrow. What about tomorrow? Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow.” But we do. When you have a medical test or surgery the next day, it’s hard to get a good night’s sleep. You think about it all night long. You worry about how much you think it will hurt. You worry about the costs involved. You worry about how long your recovery will be. You worry if the surgery will be successful. We worry about having enough money to retire or, if you are retired, you worry if you are going to run out of money.

Tomorrow—that’s the land of dreams, plans and goals. Tomorrow is another day, is what Scarlett said at the end of the movie, Gone with the Wind. Tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, is what James us warned about saying. The rich farmer in Luke 12 was living in tomorrow. He was planning to tear down barns, build larger ones and take his ease. His life was in tomorrow and he forget to live for today.

Jesus tells us three things about tomorrow:

First, do not worry about it.

Second, tomorrow will take care of itself.

Third, there’s enough trouble today.

How fitting it is for us to talk about worry, tomorrow, troublesome times and today. Put those all in a big pot, stir them around a bit and you’ll have the perfect mixture for a headache and a heartache and you’ll just feel like going to bed and pulling the covers over your head. What if we run out of toilet paper and we can’t find any? What if we are forced to stay at home? What if we have to cook? Vacations are shot. Jobs may be teetering. What about graduations? What about the up coming election? What if I get this flu? Worry…worry…worry.

Troublesome times are here, filling men’s hearts with fear. And, our Lord says, Do not worry about tomorrow.

Here are a few thoughts:

First, there is enough going on today. There is enough to pray about today. There is enough temptation to fight today. There is enough choices to make today. There is enough opportunities to let our light shine today. Getting through today will take all that we have. And, it’s more than just surviving until another day. It’s getting through this rightly. It’s getting through this by glorifying God. It’s getting through this and staying connected to God. It’s getting through this and leaving footprints for others to follow.

Your plate is full today. You don’t need to borrow anything from tomorrow. There is enough for you to handle mentally, emotionally and spiritually today.

Second, things change. Life is very fluid. We understand this in normal times. You have your week all planned out and suddenly there is a death in your family. Your plans are tossed out the window. Everything changes. By Jesus saying, “Tomorrow will care for itself,” how I see things today may not be how they are. Things will work out. It may not be as I planned. God can even change our plans. Paul wanted to preach in Asia. God said “No.” That door remained closed. There was another place. It wasn’t on Paul’s radar, but it was on God’s.

Third, some day there will be no tomorrow. All the plans that the rich farmer had ended the night he died. He had no more tomorrows. Some day will be our last day. There won’t be any tomorrows after that. Once we pass through that door of death, everything changes for us. We will run out of tomorrows someday. In eternity time will be no more. Calendars, schedules, clocks will have no place in eternity. There is no aging in eternity. Tomorrow will have taken care of itself.

Fourth, the present is all we can work in. We can’t go back and change the past. We can set things up for tomorrow, but it’s today where we operate. We must be walking with God today. We must be making choices today that will shape our eternity. We can influence others in the future, but that is done by what we do today. We live and move in the present.

Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t worry about yesterday. Don’t worry about today. After a while, a guy gets the idea that we aren’t supposed to worry. And, that’s it. Don’t worry. Trust God. Walk with the Lord. Do the best you can. Make a difference where you are. Live in the grace of God and honor the Lord all that you can.

These are troublesome times—but “I’m happy today.” I’m happy because I belong to the Lord. I’m Heaven Bound. And, I don’t have to worry about tomorrow. The Lord is already there. He’ll take care of things. The Lord is good, He is so good to me.

Roger

Jump Start # 2298

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

One of the hymns we sing beings with the words, “Troublesome times are here, filling men’s heart with fear…”. Our Lord’s words are reminders against worry. He says, “do not be anxious.” Multiple times in this setting that He has repeated those words.

First, do not be anxious for your life (25). The Lord included here food, clothing and shelter.

Second, do not be anxious for your clothing (28).

Third, do not be anxious then (31). Don’t say, What shall we eat, what shall we drink, or what shall we wear?

Fourth, does being anxious change anything (27)?

Fifth, our verse, do not be anxious about tomorrow.

Don’t be anxious! God will take care of you. God is aware of what you need. To simple poor people, which was the bulk of the Lord’s listening audience, these worries were very real. You and I stand with the frig open trying to decide what looks good to eat and the people who first heard these words, were trying to find anything to eat day by day. We have choices.

But with pantries full of food, cars in our garage, 401’s growing monthly, closets stuffed, we still worry. And, all of these years later, worry still doesn’t accomplish anything. It chips away at our belief in God being able to do anything. It keeps us up at night. It fills our days. It ruins our health. And, as smart and efficient as we are these days, worry still doesn’t do us any good. Worry makes the dog seem bigger than what he is. Worry sees the problem and hides God. The things people have worried about through the years changes, but the fact remains we still worry. Polio was once a dreaded disease. Most don’t give it any thought these days. Those worries have passed. Mothers sent their sons off to foreign fields of war. There was much worry then. Those wars have ended. When the stock market tanked, people worried. It has since rallied and those worries are gone. Yet, we still find things to worry about.

Our verse tells us why we should not worry about tomorrow. The Lord says, “tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.” We don’t need to borrow tomorrow’s worry. We need to get through today. There are two prevailing thoughts here that we need to consider.

First, each day has enough trouble of it’s own. Troublesome times. Trouble with temptation. Trouble with things not going right. Trouble with people. Trouble with health. Trouble with bad weather, broken promises, and demands of life. There is much to get done today. My list is full. There are some days that I need more than 24 hours. You can’t bank some hours for another day. You can’t save them for a rainy day. Like vacation time, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Such it is with each day.

Now, for the guy who is not motivated, organized, or, efficient, he will add to his own troubles each day. The guy who has a lazy bone, or is easily distracted and can’t stay focused on the present needs, he’ll find more trouble each day. We waste time. We do that by watching too much TV. We do that by looking for things that we can’t find. We do that by not having our order in order.

There’s going to be trouble today. There’s going to be enough trouble for us today. We won’t end this day by thinking, “I sure wish more things went wrong today.” There always is enough. Someone will be late and that messes up the schedule of things. Something won’t work and that puts you behind. You didn’t count on the delay in traffic. You forgot something at the store the other day and you must pick it up today. And, off we go in a hurry, frantic pace, trying to get everything done that needs to be done.

And out there, always lurking somewhere close is Satan. He has lies for you to believe today. He has cheap imitations for you to trade your faith for today. He has things to discourage you today. He has things that will test and try your faith today. And, if today already didn’t have enough trouble, there is Satan. He’s always there.

Second, tomorrow will take care of itself. That’s a tough one for many of us. We want to put our fingers into tomorrow and start working there. Can’t do that. You can only operate in the present. You can make plans for tomorrow. You can get things ready for tomorrow. But you can only function in the present. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Tomorrow, you may spend the day in bed sick. Tomorrow, the Lord may come and none of this matters. Tomorrow, the Lord may call me home and none of this will matter. Get through today. Get through today by trusting the Lord. Get through today by doing good. Get through today by making a difference. Get through today by honoring the Lord.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow. That’s life. And, we sure have a way of mixing those three up. We can’t let go of the past. We try to live in the future and what we ought to be doing today, we don’t. And, on top of that, we sprinkle a heaping of worry, fear and guilt on top of those days and it’s no wonder that we look like zombies. The fear, worry and guilt can be controlled by faith. Making the most of today will help us with the past, present and future concepts.

There will be trouble today. You’ll need faith, prayer, and patience to get through this day. The trouble you encounter can be opportunities to let your light shine. The trouble you face today can make you stronger. The trouble will demonstrate what’s really inside of you.

There’s going to be trouble. It may be at work. It may be at home. It may be in the congregation. It may be in the nation. It may be just within me. The day can end with me being frustrated, angry, upset and bothered. Or, trouble and all, it can end with prayer to God for getting me through this day. Another day off the list and just one more day closer to Heaven.

Each day. This day. Be sure and take your faith with you today. You’re going to need it.

Roger

Jump Start # 2191

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Today and tomorrow—those are the very things that fill our schedules. Today I have to do this. Tomorrow I have this to do. Today and tomorrow find their ways into Jesus’ discourse about worry. Several times in this section Jesus tells the multitudes do not be anxious, or worry. Don’t do it, but we do. We worry.

We worry about what might happen. We worry about the weather. We worry about what people think about us. And all that worrying doesn’t make us more productive, better rested or even more peaceful. It does just the opposite. We toss and turn all night long worrying about stuff. We lose our appetite because we are bothered about things. And once worry gets a good foot hold into our minds, we can’t seem to shake it. We think about it all the time.

Our verse today closes this section on being anxious. Jesus has already told the crowds not to worry about eating, drinking or clothing, what we’d call the necessities of life. Now, there is one more dimension that Jesus adds to the “No Worry” list, do not be anxious about tomorrow.

That statement must be considered carefully.

We must plan for tomorrow. We make appointments, all kinds of appointments for the future. Churches plan meetings, VBS, and a host of activities in the future. Financially, if we do not plan for the future, we’ll end up broke and in all kinds of trouble. What the college student studies this semester is part of a bigger plan that leads to graduating in the future. So, we must look into tomorrow and make plans.

We do not know what will happen tomorrow. James said, “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow” (James 4:14). We think we do. We make plans with the expectation of what tomorrow will be like, but we don’t know for sure. Things happen. We wake up not feeling well, and that changes our plans. We grab all of our stuff and get ready to head out and the car won’t start. That changes our plans. One of the kids gets sick, or something breaks in the house and that calls for your immediate attention. We often go to bed thinking of all the things we must do the next day, and then that all changes.

What the Lord is driving at in our passage is to not add worry to the list of things you must do tomorrow. Worry only burdens today. And, in this we find three simply truths.

First, do not be anxious for tomorrow. This is the running theme in this section. Do not be anxious. Rather than worry, pray. Rather than worry, trust the Lord. Rather than getting agitated and upset, cast your anxious thoughts to the Lord, as Peter tells us. The Lord cares for you. Make your plans for tomorrow, but put your focus upon getting through today.

Second, tomorrow will care for itself. Things may take a turn and what you were worrying about may not even be there tomorrow. You can’t live in tomorrow. Today is the day of choices, decisions, and action. What you do today can impact tomorrow, but for now focus upon this day. And, tomorrow is more than simply the next day. It may well be the next week, the next year or beyond that. There was a story I used to use in sermons that said:

I was dying to get out of high school, so I could go to college

I was dying to get out of college so I could get my own place

I was dying to get out of my apartment and get a house

I was dying to get married and start a family

I was dying for my kids to start school

I was dying for my kids to move out

And, today, I found out that I am dying, and I never have lived.

Tomorrow will care for itself.

Third, Today has enough trouble of it’s own. No one says, “There’s not enough trouble today, I want to borrow some from tomorrow.” No, it’s just the opposite. We’d like to transfer some of today’s woes into another day. There is enough trouble today. There are so many things to pray about today. You know folks who are not Christians and you need to pray that their hearts and eyes will be opened. There are congregations that are struggling and they need prayers. There are member that you know that have grown lukewarm and they need prayers. There are people that you know that are sick and they need prayers. Then there is this country and all the mess that it is in. Prayers are needed.

And, it’s not just prayers, it’s navigating through all this trouble today and not losing our minds, our faith and our cool. Toxic work environments, stressful family issues, health problems, and our personal battles against temptation and the flesh. Right choices must be made today. Wise choices must be made today. We must do as Christ would want us to do. We must let our lights shine today. Our families need us today. Our church needs us today. There are good deeds that we can do today. And, we must fight the urge to do nothing. We must fight the selfish side in us that rises to the top so often.

There is a big battle in Washington today about the Supreme Court nominee. However, there is a bigger battle taking place in each of our hearts today. The battle to walk like the world and be like the world or the battle to stand with Christ. Will we put on the full armor today, or lay it aside? Will we walk by faith today or by sight? Will we be anxious about tomorrow or will we let tomorrow take care of itself? There’s enough stuff today to keep us busy.

Today and tomorrow—how we handle these or how they handle us is a matter of faith and trust in the Lord.

Roger