What the Bible says about Do not Worry
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The phrase "do not worry" suggests a greater-than-normal concern about managing what we possess. Jesus directs this admonishment toward everyone because, no matter how much we possess, the drive to get more remains, along with insecurity about losing what we already have. He is not saying we should be unconcerned about the quality of what we eat; His concern is that we worry too much about whether we will have anything to eat.
Our focus, though, is on His statement that life is more than food and clothing. It indicates that stability and serenity of mind must come from within a person, not from outward, physical provisions. To set one's heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity. This approach to life is a sure-fire way to deprive ourselves of a major blessing of life God wants us to enjoy. His calling enables us to live an abundant life in peace and joy. In order to do this, we must be weaned away from our overwhelming dependence upon physical things. In other words, we will not find balanced emotional stability unless and until our minds are fed with a nutritious, spiritual diet.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Eating: How Good It Is! (Part Three)Related Topics: Abundant Life | Emotional Stability | Insecurity | Instability | Peace | Possessions | Setting Heart Upon | Setting Heart upon Material Possessions | Spiritual Stability | Stability | Take no Anxious Thoughts | Worry