Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This passage of scripture, coming from the mouth of Christ, represents a format for living one day at a time, and it is not given as a mere suggestion, but as an instruction that all Christians should follow. In the passage Christ refers to the "Gentiles", those members of the human family whose focus in life is worrying about the future, and whose main goal is to retire in ease and comfort, and therefore all of their energies are spent hoarding and planning for the here and now. While it is good for us to provide for the future, and to save for the rainy day, yet it is never God's will that these activities should become all-absorbing, to the point where the more important issues in life, such as our eternal destiny and the welfare and salvation of others, will be just an after-thought that receives little or no attention.
Worrying about the future is a sin, although many of us may not know it, for it manifests a distrust of God that is akin to the murmuring and unsettled state of mind that the children of Israel indulged, as they sojourned in the desert. The habit or tendency to take unto oneself the problems of future days and years, is the equivalent of taking the place of God, for He has said repeatedly that He is in charge of our well-being, and all we need to do is to cooperate with Him in our decision making processes, and also to exert the necessary effort to facilitate His working on our behalf. The sin of worrying also implies that God is somehow incapable or even inefficient at what He does, and therefore He needs our assistance and input, in order for our problems to have resolution.
Not long after the Hebrews left Egypt, the sin of worrying about the future began to take root, for they saw themselves as being uprooted from their comfort zone, where they believed they had the security of food for several years. And even though they were not hungry, and still had a good supply of food at their disposal, they looked into the future with finite eyes, and saw themselves and their children dying of hunger, a thought that was totally unwarranted, especially since they were blessed with God's visible presence with them during their sojourn. Let's read:
Exodus 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt".... "when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Now, if such a serious charge could be brought against God, with His visible presence in full view, then the question is, what will our own thoughts about the future be, who have not seen God at anytime? The Christian must do everything by faith, meaning that every decision, every plan, every concern, and every action should sit squarely on the word of God and the promises He has made to the faithful, for this shows our total dependence on God, and thus takes the issue of worry out of our hands, for if God says it, we should believe it, and that settles it period. Furthermore, if anything is attempted or done outside of the realm of faith, it is written in the books of heaven as sin. Let's read:
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned"..... "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
In our own experiences, this text will literally mean that our employment is in God's hands, for He has promised to give us our daily bread, and the wherewithal to procure it. Many Christians erroneously think that the human employer is the one who holds our bread and butter, but this view is incorrect, for God is the one who provides work and employment opportunities, as well as promotions, a promise that is written in the Bible, and therefore we should take God at His word and stop worrying about what the "boss" can or cannot do to. Let's read:
Psalm 75:5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. 6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Some of us worry that the promotion on the job will never come, or that another worker who is less qualified may be given the higher paying position, and so we sometimes resort to secular, humanistic, or satanic means in order to achieve our goals and desires. Those little fairy tales that are deliberately inserted into our employment application, together with the many years of work performed for phantom companies, are all to a greater or lesser extent, manifestations of the sin of worrying and should be resolutely relinquished in favor of a humble, childlike trust in God, who is able to bring to pass His good purposes in His own time and way.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reminds us that God has our backs, and if we will just put our trust in Him, all that He has promised will be fulfilled in due season. Let's read:
Job 11:17 And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. 18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. 19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid"....
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!