(February 19, 2021 at 12:37 pm)Mercyvessel Wrote: The point of that sermon was that we should not preoccupy ourselves with the pursuit of the material, becoming consumed or anxious
Yes, it is an exhortation to trust in God, rather than subjecting ourselves to endless stress and worry.
With mention of birds, Jesus was not advocating we behave like birds (?!) but rather showing that God provides everything birds need to survive. They do not have to do any production work themselves, the stuff is just there for them. Some berries or seeds here, a worm there, some bread someone put out here etc.
And if God is willing to provide for even the birds, should we not have confidence that He will provide for us too? Especially considering how much more valuable/prominent a human life is, compared to a simple bird.
Basically His point is that if we attempt to know God and live as He desires, then we will receive what we need in life - just like the birds. God knows what we need after all. (NB what we "need" may sometimes be different to what we "want".)
He says: "Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things* shall be added unto you."
(*the things we need in life)
Its pretty good advice. I am sure we can all look back and see times where we were worried or anxious - depressed even - about exams, job security, relationships, health, family,the future, the unknown, you name it. I know I have wasted a lot of energy on worry in the past and I can see it was all for nothing.
As well as being unpleasant to suffer from, worry & stress do not provide any solutions.
"Pray, hope and don't worry. Worry is useless". - St Pio (Padre Pio)
