31: As long as we are alive, these things will seem to press in around us. The daily needs that we have weigh heavily on our minds. However, Jesus would have us to avoid constant anxiety. There is more to life than that. So, he is not saying you should not plan your next meal, but that it must not be the only pursuit of your existence. There is more to life than survival.
32: The comment here concerning the Gentiles does not leave Gentiles out of the application for this verse. Jesus was using ‘Gentiles’ in the broadest sense of the term, to mean the heathen nations. Pagan persons will proceed through life surviving in their own way, ignoring the Creator of it all. Though they may worship idols of their own making, all is based on a survival-instinct. Thus, those who have Almighty God for their Father may spend life in a different way. The Father, of course, will not allow his children to suffer unnecessarily.
Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 31:1-Ecclesiastes 2:26
Daily Memory Verse: Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and are perished in the gainsaying of Core.”
Daily Tidbit: The Spanish word used to translate the Greek for ‘take thought’ in Matthew 6:25-34 can be found in the Spanish Reina Valera version. The word means anguish, or extreme distress. This is interesting in that it reminds us of the anguish that Jesus went through on the cross. There is, therefore, no reason to be distressed any more, because Christ was distressed for all of us.
Praise Journal: Heavenly Father, thank You for working in our lives to make us into something more valuable than we could have imagined. Help us to see and understand the inestimable worth of a life lived for You. Many value their independence from You, thinking that they do not need You. Of course, we are reminded on every hand of our needs and dependence upon the supplies that You have placed about us. Like children, whose world is much smaller than reality, we think that we know everything there is. Oh Father, may we live our lives open to the depth of wisdom that You hold out to us! Make Your presence known to us as we go through our lives each day. We want to live to the full measure that we can. Help us to see our worth to You, and our hope in You. Thank You for that sure and blessed hope. It is what brings me to You. You are the Producer of hope, the very fountainhead of it. Let it flow into our hearts and lives, dear Father. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Prayer Journal: Pray for two older men with health issues. Pray for a man with a bad virus. Pray for a man with mental health issues. Pray for a woman who thinks she may have a staff infection.
Personal Journal Entry #12204