Matthew 6:25-34
A stern warning from any mother to her child is “watch your mouth!” and most of us have been on the receiving end of that warning at least once in our lives. I think that I responded with, “I can’t see my mouth so how can I watch it?” but I only got to do that one time. You can imagine the response.
Jesus gave the cure for anxiety when He told the Jews at the Sermon on the Mount to trust in the Father’s care for them. He showed them the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field, how both are provided for by the heavenly Father, and how they are better than fowl or lilies. His cure was prefaced with a warning, which appears in one form or the other five different times in this passage: “take no thought”. Look at each warning:
“Take no thought for your life…” (Matthew 6:25)
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27)
“Why take ye thought for raiment?” (Matthew 6:28)
“Therefore, take not thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’.” (Matthew 6:31)
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow…” (Matthew 6:34)
The phrase, “take thought” speaks of being anxious or careful, both of which lead us to stress and fear. It also speaks of our thought life, and what we ponder in our head. How we think of a situation invariably leads to how we deal with that situation. If we think that a situation is hopeless then we act that way, and it leads to hopelessness. Feel negative about everything that happens, and always think the worst and you will probably never be disappointed. Why live that way?
In these five instances, Jesus tells us to think differently about the moments in our lives that are everyday concerns for us. We are to watch how we think about our life, what we will eat, drink or wear (verse 25). We are also not to stress about our physical body (verse 25, 27) or whether or not we are going to have new and stylish clothes (verse 28). We shouldn’t concern ourselves with HOW we are going to get these things either (verse 31). Finally, we need not worry about tomorrow, for it is already taken care of (verse 34).
The most important warning of Jesus is expressed in the phrase, “take no thought, saying”. How do we take possession of our thoughts? We express them, and articulate them with words. The moment we speak out loud what is going through our head then we have put legs on our thought life. Many things will cross your mind, but not all of them belong to you. Aren’t you glad that you are not responsible for every single thought that comes into your head? If someone could see what goes on in there they might think differently of all of us!
When we speak those worries aloud, we take those thoughts and make them our own. Like the old saying, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head but you don’t have to let them build a nest in your hair”, you can’t keep thoughts out of your head, but you don’t have to own them.
Watch your mouth saint! I don’t mean live in fear that you will say the wrong thing, but don’t articulate those thoughts that are full of doubt and unbelief. Allow Christ’s finished work to filter your thoughts before they hit your tongue. Then we will truly bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
A stern warning from any mother to her child is “watch your mouth!” and most of us have been on the receiving end of that warning at least once in our lives. I think that I responded with, “I can’t see my mouth so how can I watch it?” but I only got to do that one time. You can imagine the response.
Jesus gave the cure for anxiety when He told the Jews at the Sermon on the Mount to trust in the Father’s care for them. He showed them the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field, how both are provided for by the heavenly Father, and how they are better than fowl or lilies. His cure was prefaced with a warning, which appears in one form or the other five different times in this passage: “take no thought”. Look at each warning:
“Take no thought for your life…” (Matthew 6:25)
“Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27)
“Why take ye thought for raiment?” (Matthew 6:28)
“Therefore, take not thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’.” (Matthew 6:31)
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow…” (Matthew 6:34)
The phrase, “take thought” speaks of being anxious or careful, both of which lead us to stress and fear. It also speaks of our thought life, and what we ponder in our head. How we think of a situation invariably leads to how we deal with that situation. If we think that a situation is hopeless then we act that way, and it leads to hopelessness. Feel negative about everything that happens, and always think the worst and you will probably never be disappointed. Why live that way?
In these five instances, Jesus tells us to think differently about the moments in our lives that are everyday concerns for us. We are to watch how we think about our life, what we will eat, drink or wear (verse 25). We are also not to stress about our physical body (verse 25, 27) or whether or not we are going to have new and stylish clothes (verse 28). We shouldn’t concern ourselves with HOW we are going to get these things either (verse 31). Finally, we need not worry about tomorrow, for it is already taken care of (verse 34).
The most important warning of Jesus is expressed in the phrase, “take no thought, saying”. How do we take possession of our thoughts? We express them, and articulate them with words. The moment we speak out loud what is going through our head then we have put legs on our thought life. Many things will cross your mind, but not all of them belong to you. Aren’t you glad that you are not responsible for every single thought that comes into your head? If someone could see what goes on in there they might think differently of all of us!
When we speak those worries aloud, we take those thoughts and make them our own. Like the old saying, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head but you don’t have to let them build a nest in your hair”, you can’t keep thoughts out of your head, but you don’t have to own them.
Watch your mouth saint! I don’t mean live in fear that you will say the wrong thing, but don’t articulate those thoughts that are full of doubt and unbelief. Allow Christ’s finished work to filter your thoughts before they hit your tongue. Then we will truly bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
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