Calvary Baptist of Augusta

To "do good" = an act of high moral standard and benefit - doing the right thing at the right time according to God's will.

To many think that departing from evil, saying "no" to sin or some sinful act is enough, but that's not what the Scriptures teach. The departing is only half of the equation. The second half is the doing good part.

Listen to Jesus' Words. "But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31Do to others as you would like them to do to you" (Luke 6:27-31).

In each of these casses, Jesus is telling us what His people are to do in place of what sin would have them do.

Sin and the world say to hate your enemies as they hate you. Jesus says you are to love them.

Sin and the world say to do bad to those who hate you. Jesus says to do good to those who hate you.

Sin and the world say to curse those who curse you. Jesus says to bless those who curse you. And it goes this way through the rest of His commands.

Jesus, Himself, set the example for us during the most excruciatingly painful time in His life.

At the height of His agony, at the very moment when most victims of crucifixion might scream out in fury with a curse, Christ prayed for forgiveness for His tormentors: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

What the world and sin would call a normal and understandable response, a response that can help alleviate at least some mental and emotional pain (as studies such as "Profanity Can Sometimes Be The Best Medicine," and "Swearing As A Response To Pain," suggest), Jesus could have cursed at those inflicted this horrible pain on Him with no guilt of sin. Yet, God views such language as sin (Eph. 4:29).

"Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]."

For Jesus, saying "no" to sin was not the end of doing good, but rather, it was the beginning of doing good. Saying no to sin opened the door to showing people His true and full character.

Most times, it's much easier to put off, or to say no, to sin than it is to do good after we have been sinned agsinst. Yet, to be Christlike is to do the good that we are called to do.

Doing bad in response to bad things being done to us, even walking away from the bad is the easy part. Most anyone can manage this. Returning good for bad, now that's a different story. But without this, our "story," testimony for Christ will either not been seen or will be much weaker than it could be.

"Do you want to get well?"

Jesus heals a crippled man and then declares He is God.

Join us this morning as we revist the crippled man at the pool in Bethesda whom Jesus healed. Jesus asked this man who had been crippled for 38 years and laying by this pool hoping to get in so he could be healed if he wanted to be madw well. Why did Jesus ask him this question?

Jesus used this man's situation to declare His deity to the Jews. What did Jesus say that caused the jews to go into a rage and want Jesus dead?

How does this apply to our lives? Lets find out!

Join us at 10:45 a.m.!

For the Christian, identity matters!

Col. 3:1-3 1Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4And when Christ, who is youra life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

Matt. 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The saved person must find their identity in Christ, period! If the Christian does not stay centered on this truth, they will drift to finding their identity in something or someone else. When the Christian finds their identity in something or someone other than Christ they can be certain that their relationship with Christ will take a back seat, it may move back 20 rows on the bus, to whatever it is they now identify with.

One reason many Christians greatly reduce being in the house of God, drop out of church, do not get involved in or drop out of service for Christ, and drift away into worldly things is because they no longer identify with Christ first. Something has replaced this identification.

Rather than being a Christian who plays or just likes sports, they become the sports person first who happens to be a Christian, i.e, that is their sport becomes their new identity and Christ drifts more into the background. The same is true for hunting, fishing, business, friendships, just anything you can name.

They go from a Christian who fishes to a fisherman who is a Christian. They go from a Christian who hunts to a hunter who is a Christian. They go from a Christian who enjoys fellowship with friends to a person who enjoys fellowship with friends who happens to be a Christian. They go from a Christian who enjoys movies and T.V. to someone who enjoys movies and TV and is a Christian.

While on the surface this may seem trivial, in reality, what or who you identify with the most is what will take over your life. Whatever or whoever you identify with the most, you will start putting that first, and bit by bit, it will start to replace Christ from being first in your life.

Example: identifying as a Christian first who plays golf to a person who plays golf that is also a Christian.

There would have been a time in a Christians life when if someone suggested skipping out on church, skipping out on their ministry, skipping out on their service, whatever it is that the Lord led them to, and that which they were committed to, to go play golf, they would have declined because Christ and His calling came first. They had made a commitment. But then as golf started becoming more and more fun and important to them, if they are not very careful, they will start to change from a Christian who plays golf to a golfer who happens to be a Christian. As this mindset starts to take over, though no one really notices it in their life, but others do, they will start to miss a church service here and there. They will start asking if someone can teach their class for them here and there because they won't be in church that day. They will ask if someone can occasionally fill their spot in whatever ministry they do so they can go play golf just this one time with their friends. Before long, they're going one more time, and then another time, and then eventually golf becomes their identity first, and they are purchasing golf clothing, caps, shoes, clubs, balls, etc. Now, they have become invested in golf.

Once one becomes invested in their new idenity, they're seldom seen at church. They drop out of whatever ministries and service they once said they felt led to by god. Now church simply becomes something they go to on occasion, if at all. Many of these people will completely stop going to their church, and they will start going to a different church here and there. Why?

They stop going to their church because they don't want to be asked where they have been. They don't want to hear that they have been missed and that people hope they will start coming back more regularly. They don't want to be asked to serve in any of the church's ministries or service areas. They don't want to be asked to do anything that will interfere with golf. They especially do not want to feel guilty for having quit on everyone. They don't want to look at people that they know they used to help, those who used to depend on them that they have now left alone to try to do the work. So they look for another church, typically a larger church, where they can just drop in and then leave and not have to worry about being asked to do anything that would interfere with golf.

You can take golf and replace it with virtually anything in this world such as fishing, tennis, TV and movies, sewing, the swimming pool, hanging out with friends, dating, relationships, doing stuff with your children, going on Road trips, college and pro sports, you name it. If it becomes your identity ahead of Christ, you will find Christ slipping further and further back in your life.

All of this is Satan and sins subtle strategy. Calenders will become full, and church, especially ministries and service, will not fit in. All commitment to God's calling will disappear. If one continues to serve to make others "happy," they will not prepare for their service or ministry because their heart is elsewhere. Sin and Satan must make sure God does not come first! The Christian's identity in Christ must be removed or moved back. Time spent in God's word, in prayer, in worship, in service, must be moved back.

Now, the door is open for more and more things to take the place of Christ being the priority in a person's life. Now, human wisdom will start taking the place of God's wisdom. Now, people will turn to their own way of handling things rather than God's way outlined in the bible.

Now, instead of focusing their will and emotions on the spiritual reality of Heaven and letting that control their motivations, they get caught up in Earthly concerns and seek to handle them in Earthly ways.

This person no longer stays in God's Word first so it can renew their mind and arm them for spiritual battle and make them faithful so they can triumph over temptation. Now, they will, at best, give a brief prayer and then quickly run to something to make them feel better like golf.

If Christ isn't first, you will know it. This cannot be hidden. One may choose it ignore or deny it, but they will remember who they used to be....first. Only a return to Christ as first place in one's life will lead to having His complete peac

Don't Expect God’s Peace If.......
➡️ You fail to seek restoration.
Matt. 5:23-24 So if you are presenting a sacrificeh at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

➡️ You refuse to speak to the believer who sinned against you while choosing to broadcast the sin done against you.
Matt. 18:15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.
➡️ You drop kindness, so now you will never have compassion or be able to forgive the one who sinned against you. If you drop kindness and compassion, you will make yourself the judge of all things, taking Christ's rightful place as The Judge, and handle everything as you see fit. When we do this, we often turn to vengeance rather than justice.

Gal. 4:32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Justice vs. Vengeance
✅️ Motivation
Justice is motivated by God's heart, while vengeance is motivated by emotions like anger, fear, frustration, and pain.

✅️ Action
Justice leaves the matter in God's hands, while vengeance takes matters into your own hands. The Bible prohibits revenge and tells people not to take justice into their own hands.

Revenge can be as subtle as not speaking to someone all the way up to murder.

✅️ Relationship
Justice brings people into a right relationship, while vengeance can harm the person who hurt you. Justice takes an "I-you" relationship and elevates it to an impartial viewpoint where everyone, "we," stands equally under judgment.

✅️ Outcome
Justice brings lasting peace, while revenge might feel good in the moment but can leave you feeling empty. Revenge can also lead to cycles of retaliation that can devastate families, neighborhoods, communities, churches, businesses, countries, and more.

✅️ Definition
Justice is defined as "to make right" and stems from the word "righteousness." It includes giving someone their due, such as rewarding, recognizing, or punishing them.

✅️ The Christian seeks justice. Vengeance is left in God's hands.
✴️ Micah 6:8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

✴️ Deuteronomy 16:20 "Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the lands which the Lord your God is giving to you"

✴️ Rom. 12:9 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.

➡️ You will lose your ability to control your tongue. What often starts with the tongue continues with the tongue, making it ever increasingly more difficult to make things right.

James 3:5-6 The tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.b

➡️ You will lose your ability to live wisely according to the Lord. Jealousy and selfish ambition are major ignitors of the tongue. When jealousy and selfish ambition come in, the things of God are thrown out. If anything of God remains, it is but a veil to hide behind.

James 3:13-16 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil.

➡️ You will experience evil speaking.
James 4:11 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

Evil speaking is very often the precursor to falling away from the grace of God in all areas of a person's life.

➡️ If you don't have the Fruit of The Spirit in your life and toward all people, not just the ones you like or are happy with, there's only one way to get it back. You must get right with God and attempt to get right with them.
Gal. 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Eph. 4:26 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

"Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life!"

Paul writes in Colossians 3:17, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Can you do that? Are you doing that?
If not, what are you going to do about it?

Who's Really to Blame?
Do two wrongs make a right?

"He told a colleague, "We will hunt them down till they are all dead.'"

1 Cor. 6:5-11
5 I say this to your shame!e Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers? 6 Instead, believer goes to court against believer, and that
before unbelievers!

7 Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you act unjustly and cheat — and you do this to believers!

Just as when believers tarnish the reputation church when they take each other to court, so too do believers tarnish the reputation of the church when they enter into petty disputes and grumbling (Phil. 2:14).

These petty instintantces not only give the unsaved of the world a reason to mock the church but it also opens the door within the church for sides to form that often only have partial to little information and truth that then leads to quarrls (2 Tim. 2:22), hurt feelings, and fracture the church.

Paul makes a simple statement in verses 7-8, accept the wrong committed agsinst you and move on. Paul states that repaying a wrong with a wrong does not equal a right. -1 + -1 does not bring you back to even. To get back to even requres a +1. Paul was struggling to find that positive Christian who so trusted the Lord and how He works and handles such situations of wrongdoing.

When Christians turn negative and choose to handle wrong doing agaist them by committing a wrongfoing (-1 × -1) there has either a loss of, or a rejection of, trust in God bring about justice or the person has decided to fully reject God's ways. What they have done is declare themselves wiser and more just than God. The amazing thing is this; the sinner has chosen to repay a sinner by sinning against them (-1 + -1) rather than turning the other cheek (Matt. 5:39) and treating them as they would want to be treated (Matt. 7:12).

What is the truth they have rejected concerning God's justice?
1. That God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34).
2. He commands against the mistreatment of others (Zechariah 7:10).
3. He perfectly executes vengeance against the oppressors (2 Thessalonians 1:6; Romans 12:19). 4. God is just in meting out rewards: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (Hebrews 6:10).
4. He is equally just in meting out punishments: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism” (Colossians 3:25).
5. Justice and righteousness, which always work hand in hand, are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14).

In last night's documovie, The Burma Rangers, we saw a Burmese solider who had killed, who he called "good men," women, children, and babies, yes, he himself confessed this on film, repent and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. He made his admission and repentance in the presence of those whose people he had killed. Do you know what they did? They forgave and accepted him. Yes, they were recorded speaking of why they forgave and accepted him into their own group. Why did they do this? Because they, too, once were sinners who had been cleansed by Jesus. They now called this young man their friend! The picture is the baptism of this man.

In this same documovie, an Iraqi family they, the Burma Ranges, had just helped rescue from ISIS, saw this greatly thanking them with their little daughter, hugging David Eubank's leg in gratitude Then, as the family left, they hit a landmine planted by ISIS that blew up the family, the very one who minutes before were thanking them with so much emotion. We see the video of them laying there and the little 3-year-old girl who grabbed David's leg receiving CPR, but up no avail. She was dead.

“All of us were crying. We saw dead bodies every day. Nobody cries in combat,” Eubank said.

He told a colleague, “We will hunt them down till they are all dead.”

But he prayed that night and the next morning opened his Bible to this verse: “Vengeance is mine, said the Lord. I will repay.”

“I said, ‘Jesus, I reject vengeance. I give it up.’ He lifted off my shoulders a burden I didn’t even know I was carrying.”

Neither of these cases were petty ones, yet they gave them over to God, and in the former case became friends with the one who had killed, murdered, their people. This brings to memory Saul's conversion and his acceptance by the disciples. Sadly, we see many casses in the church that are incredibly petty compared to these that lead to loss of friendships, more strife, and divisions so big that those who once were friends cannot be around one another again.
I can only thank God that none of us are God, for we would have killed one another long ago.

All of this reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Church. 1 Cor. 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. 2I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?

James 3:2 - 12 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

Who's really to blame for the stife in the church? Is it the Christian who started the stife or the Christian who responds in the wrong way, or both? Who should be big enough in God to put out the spark before it becomes a wildfire?

We're watching Free Burma Rangers.

Real, gritty missions of a different kind. Reaching the uttermost places.

The film follows Dave, Karen, and their three young children, as they venture into war zones where they are fighting to bring hope. Viewers will follow the family into firefights, heroic rescues, and experience life-changing ministry.

We're also enjoying pizza, popcorn, candy, cookies, and drinks. It's a good night with our Sunday evening folk.

Join us today as we continue in our journey through the Gospel of John.

Today's topic: Ministry is Costly, but Priceless. John 4:39-5:19

There is a price to be paid for serving God and the doing the work of the ministry, but the dividends are incredible. The ministry is priceless. How could anyone set a price on the value of seeing a person becoming a child of God, knowing that they will go to Heaven and spend eternity there with their Heavenly Father? The price that Jesus Paid on the cross there is no amount of money that can buy what He did. Yet, the price Jesus Paid did not start at the Cross!

Join us at 10:45 a.m..

Join us today as we make one more vist to the incredible story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

In this great encounter we see Jesus breaking down the barriers of how women were viewed, not just how the Samaritan woman was viewed, but all women and we see Jesus breaking down the barriers of cross cultural ministry.

If you truly believe Jesus is our example of how to live, then you must be willing to reach those whom others have little respect for and those whom others avoid and even reject.

10:45 am.

Once again the skeptics are proved wrong. The Word of God is truth! The Word of God is accurate! The Word of God is reliable! Why? Because it's the Word of God!

John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth".

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness".

Archaeologists uncover 3,000-year-old structure from the Bible

Archaeologists uncover 3,000-year-old structure from the Bible Archaeologists discovered a monumental structure from the Bible that confirms Jerusalem was once divided. The area was split into the Ophel and the Millo areas.

One Salvation! God is good!

Today's prayer tent went well.

One guy spent about 40 minutes under the tent. He came for prayer but then the conversation got into how we got the bible, textual criticism, the reliability of various translations, what ia sin, what is sanctification, the apostle Paul's salvation experience, how do we know Peter and Saul of Tarsus were the same person, Peter's life, different realms (the earthly and the spiritual), Law vs. Grace, freewil for salvation and freewill after salvation and more. The topic would change fast when he heard truth that did not lead to His desired outcome. He's a guy who was either searching for answers or a guy who wants to justify his sinful lifestyle or both. He was very nice. He definitely knows of God but did not show evidence of having a personal relationship with God. He certainly knows a decent amount of the Scriptures, but it does not appear the Scriptures have ever taken root and produced fruit in his life. We went through the Plan of Salvation, which he knew very well. God's word will not come back void. God will do whatever it is He desires through this conversation.

A young lady came up for prayer after Doug had joined me. She received prayer, but most importantly, she prayed to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior!

It was a good morning.

If you want to sit in on praying for and witnessing to others, this is a good way to do it and grow your confidence in doing the same.

Join us this morning at 10:445 a.m. as we continue to study Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well.

Last week we looked at how Jesus led her to a saving faith, but there is so much more to see in this great story. We see Jesus breaking down the barriers of cross-cultural ministry and sexism. We see Jesus teaching on true worship. We see true worship being demonstrated.

In this story, we see Jesus demonstrating how we are to witness. Jesus modeled a proper attitude and demenor in witnessing. Jesus shows us how to keep a person engaged in conversation. Jesus shows us how to handle questions, how to answers and more.

We see true faith in action. We see how true faith in Jesus prompts us to do God's will, to do good works (James 2:14-26), which is part of our true worship (Rom. 12:1-2).

Do Not Worry!

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matt. 6:34 (The Message)

Worry is something I've seldom struggled with. Typically, if I do start to worry, it will pass very, very quickly.

We all handle things differently, so how I handle worry may not be the way you do. The fact that I seldom worry about anything may be different than you, too.

How I deal with worry.
Plan A
1. I tell remind myself that God has freed me from worry, so I'm free from it, not a slave or prisoner to it. I remind myself that if I continue to worry, I have chosen to do so. My worry is 100% on me. I alone have decided to make myself a slave, a prisoner, to worry. "Why would I do this to myself," I will ask."
2. I tell myself I don't have time for this nonsense in my life and that the thoughts that worry brings about will not do anything to help me in any way whatsoever. Worry will actually harm me mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, socially, and it will hamper all that I need to do because it will create a divided mind and divided minds do not focus well on what needs to be accomplished.
3. I claim one of God's promises
4. I pray this promise back to God and ask Him to be fsithful to and to remember to fulfill His promise in me.
5. I go about my business, leaving worry behind.
6. If it is something really big that is trying to drag me down with worry, I look back on my past and what God has done, and I will especially remember the absolute worst moments or events in my life where the only thing worse could have been death, and I will say, "This ain't as bad as that and look how God handled it! I've got nothing to worry about. God, it's Yours! Deal with it as You see fit. Let me know if there's anything You want me to do. Otherwise, I'm out of it. Thank You."

One thing I will not do is spend time in prayer focusing on what it is that is trying to create worry in my life. I quickly give it to God and move on to positive things to pray about. This is what Jesus says to do in Matt. 6:33! Stop your worry prayers and start seeking the Kingdom of God! Do this, and then God will handle the rest.

I've discovered that those who spend a lot of time praying about their worry seldom stop worrying. To continually pray about why you're worrying and to continually ask God to help you to stop worrying is like having a car stuck in red clay and all you do is keep your foot on the gas and spinning your tire(s). If you don't get out of the car and do something about the situation, you'll just keep spinning your tires. Your prayers become just as repetitive as the spinning tire is repetitive in its motion. In other words, if your prayers keep you stuck in the red clay of worry, you need to stop praying and do something productive!

Let's be honest. Some people live in worry because they refuse to leave worry. They choose to worry. They choose to make every conversation about their worry, every thought about their worry, and every prayer about their worry. They never leave their worry. Their worry consumes every point of their life. Their worry becomes their life! Is it any wonder why they seldom know what a peaceful and clear mind and spirit is.

Worry chokes you spiritually. It creates a mental and then emotional stranglehold on your life. It doesn't make anything better....ever! In fact, worrying makes things everything worse....always!

The cynic will say, "My worrying helped me get so and so done!" Really? Worrying did that? So there was no way to get that done without worrying and all the stress and emotional and attitude stuff it created? I mean, seriously?

Matthew 6:34 is such a great verse. How can you not love what Jesus says here! In this verse, He points out that worry—any manner of pace-the-floor, can’t-sleep-at-night fretting—is not helpful because it changes NOTHING!

This verse is a beautiful reminder from our Savior that worry isn’t necessary for the child of God. Our Father knows precisely what we need, why we need it, and when we need it. He is never early. He's never late. God is perfect. His timing is perfect, so what He does is always right on time. The same God who paints the flowers of the field and tends the birds of the air holds every part of our lives in his nail-pierced hands. The same God who loved us so much that He went through the hell of Calvary for us loves us too much to leave your life to chance.

Do you want to be freed from worry? If not, I feel sorry for you. If yes, then rest in the promises of God, and if you start to worry, remind yourself there is no need to - HE is in control and loves us so!

A commentary on Matt. 6:25-34
By Dr. David Jeremiah

Three times in this text, Jesus says,"Do not worry" (6:25, 31, 34). Jesus gives five reasons why we should not worry:

1. Worry is inconsistent (6:25). If we can trust Jesus to provide us with our lives, can we not also trust him with our daily needs?
2. Worry is irrational (6:26). If our Lord cares for the birds, will He not also care for us, since we are more valuable than the birds?
3. Worry is ineffective (6:27). Who among us can add one cubit (the length from our elbow to the tip of the middle finger) to our stature by worrying?
4. Worry is illogical (6:28-30). If God can clothe the Lilies of the field, can He not also clothe us?
5. Worry is irreligious (Matt. 6:31- 32). When we worry, we act just like those who do not know God; in this case, "the Gentiles."

To avoid worrying, we need a system of priorities: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (6:33). We also need a strategic program: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring about its own things" (6:34).

In conclusion:
Don't use "concern" as an excuse to worry.

The Bible says that Christians should be concerned for others and take action, but not worry:

✅️ Concern
A positive, godly quality that motivates action and is based in faith and trust in God. For example, 1 Corinthians 7:34 says, "An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs". Synonyms of concern include care and genuine interest.

✅️ Worry
A negative, fear-based projection of energy that can lead to inaction and distrust of God. Worry can paralyze you, cause you to fear the worst, and take your eyes off God's power. For example, as we have observed, in Matthew 6, Jesus says "Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry" three times, and then says "Because you have a Father".