Dependence on God

Today's Reflections 

      

Dependence on God

Mt 6:24-34

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ²⁴“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

²⁵“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 than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? ²⁷Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? ²⁸Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. ²⁹But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. ³⁰If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ ³²All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. ³⁴Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE. Jesus tells his disciples to trust the heavenly Father completely for their needs. This does not mean that they no longer have to work or worry—but it is useless to be overly anxious. They must do their very best and leave the rest to God.

Do not worry about your life—this may sound good only for dreamers. In fact, nobody is free from worry (the day has “its own evil”), especially when one’s pockets are empty. Still, there is truth in what Jesus says: worrying does not add a single moment to one’s life-span.

Our life is a greater blessing than our livelihood and possessions. We are more valuable than the birds in the sky and the lilies in the field. If God takes care of them, how much more God takes care of us. There is wisdom in the familiar saying: “Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you.”

React to this suggested revision of the above saying:

“Pray as if everything depends on you,

work as if everything depends on God.”