May
25 Practical Advice from Jesus about Money and Worry
Last Sunday I said I’d begin looking at some
of Jesus’ practical advice for daily life.
Some say the American economy is in recession. We’ve all felt the impact of rising prices
for gas and food. We could be worried
about making ends meet.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus speaks
about two related topics: money and worry.
Sounds like Jesus is talking to us about today’s problems.
He would show us what life in the kingdom –
life under the rule of God – looks like.
And how that can shape our response to life’s challenges. Often instead of giving us rules, he prods
our imagination with stories and illustrations, then poses questions without
giving a clear answer. All devices that
should make us think, like saying:
You can’t worship two
gods. You’ll end up fully committed to
one and despising the other. You can’t
serve Almighty God and the almighty dollar.
Matthew 6:24 paraphrase
Jesus says “You can’t worship both God and
money…” and you reply of course not.
What self-respecting Christian would bow down and worship money?
But the temptation is more subtle than
that. It’s insidious. If you made a list of the things that can
side-track a Christian – distract them – then money and accumulating stuff,
would have to be near the top of the list.
It’s like having more and better is built
into our nature. It’s certainly
reinforced by our culture. The American
economy depends on all of us going out to buy the new and improved, the bigger
and better. And then we go deeper into
debt. We can become enslaved to the
maintenance of our “stuff” once we’ve got it.
Culture tells us that the way to be worry
free is amassing enough.
But Jesus says: Don’t store up for
yourselves a lot of stuff on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and thieves
steal. Instead have treasure in heaven…
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21 paraphrase
No matter how effective your safeguards,
treasures on earth will not last. If you
get focused on your stuff – on material things, your heart is going to be set
on earthly things instead of the
Jesus’ warning about concerns over material
things moves from accumulating stuff to the necessities of life: You can’t
serve God and money. Look around. Birds don’t farm, but the Creator feeds
them. Flowers don’t use their credit
cards to shop at the mall, but God clothes them with beauty. If your heavenly Father takes care of birds
and flowers, don’t you think He will care for you, who are made in His
image. So don’t worry about
tomorrow. God is providing for you today
and He’ll be there for you tomorrow. Matthew
6:25-30 paraphrase
These words about birds and flowers were
directed to folks who had to sow and reap, toil and work. He wasn’t telling them to stop doing that,
but that there was a lot more to life than focusing on those tasks. Then he also exhorts us not to worry. Why?
God provides.
Luther said: “We should indeed
work, but we should let God have the care.
After all, our worrying gets us nowhere. Meanwhile we might have done
much good, but our worrying has kept us from it.”
Stress and anxiety do not rule over the
birds and the flowers, and neither should they rule over humans who place their
trust in God.
A man was fleeing down the hall of a
hospital just before his operation. A
security guard stopped him and asked “What’s the matter?”
I heard the nurse say,
“Don’t worry, it’s a very simple operation.
Stop worrying, I’m sure it will be all right.
“She was just trying to comfort you.”
But she wasn’t talking to
me. She was talking to the doctor.
Can any of you by worrying
add a single hour to your span of life? 6:27
No, but you could subtract some years from
your life span.
Everyone worries, but some people do worry
more than others. They are more likely
to envision a future bad outcome than a good one. Maybe they have a more pessimistic outlook on
life.
A study reported in the Mayo Clinic
Proceedings involved 7,000 individuals who more than forty years ago who took
the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Of the group, about 25% were classified as
pessimists and about 15% as optimists.
They then tracked their health for the next four decades and found that
the pessimists had a significantly greater likelihood of dying than did the
optimists. Having a negative attitude
and worrying a lot can take years off your life.
Of course worry and pessimism are not the
same thing. But at their root, both
worry and pessimism are related to a shortage of hope and trust. They both evidence a lack of confidence in
some aspect of the future. To which Jesus would say, You of little faith… Your heavenly Father already knows all
your needs. But strive first for the
It’s really all about the attitude we bring
to life. And that attitude is shaped by
where we focus our attention. Jesus says
these material things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. [v.32]
But we
believers are to be focused on the
Jesus had said the
Being a part of His kingdom is the ultimate
reason for optimism and hope. Because
Christ and those who follow him win. You
are all winners in the game of life.
You may be pessimistic about human activity,
but you’ve got every reason to be optimistic about God’s activity. Hope actually assumes that pessimists are
sometimes right in the short run, but hope trusts God for the long run. That hope - that confidence has a way of
leaking back into our present circumstances.
As Jesus said: In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world. John 16:33
In the gospel, Jesus gives us practical
advice for dealing with worry and money.
His first piece of advice is - get your
priorities in order - Seek ye
first the
Second -- When you’re tempted to worry,
instead pray.
“Do not worry about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication – with thanksgiving –
let your requests be made known to God.”
Phil. 4:6
Dr. Edward Hallowell is a psychologist who
for 20 years taught at Harvard and now has a clinical practice. In an article on Psychology Today
about worry, he offered several suggestions for dealing with excessive worry
and then concluded: “Talk to God when you feel worried... Brain scans and EEG monitors show beneficial
changes in the brain during prayer and meditation. The changes correlate with most of our
measures of improved health, including longevity, and reduced incidence of
illness.”
You expect preachers to tell you to pray,
but this comes from a clinical psychologist writing in a secular journal.
“Spirituality is a very important part of the mind. In my case, a relationship with God is
another source of connection, and ultimately it makes sense of my life in a way
nothing else can.”
Three -- Take one day at a time.
“So do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.” Matthew
6:34
Live just one day at a time, Jesus says, and
stop worrying about tomorrow because tomorrow will have its own worries.
The future is in God’s
hands. And if you worry about what
might happen tomorrow, you’re going to MISS OUT on the blessings of today.
Worry isn’t an innate part of us. It can be UN-LEARNED. We prayed in the psalm: “But I
still my soul and make it quiet, like a child upon its mother’s
breast; my soul is quieted within me
How do I still my worries and make
my soul, my mind quiet? In addition
to praying as much as you worry, you can develop a positive mind set. Paul advises us to focus our minds on
positive things. “Whatever is true – honorable –– pleasing –– if there is anything
of excellence or worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Take your mind off your problems by thinking
about your blessings.
Most of all, trust God to
take care of you.