Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "One Day At A Time" for Sunday, 25 May 2014 - Read Matthew 6:25-34

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "One Day At A Time" for Sunday, 25 May 2014 - Read Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment[a] to his lifespan? 28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, 29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 6:27 literally, cubit
Strive first for the kingdom of God . . . and all these things will be given to you as well.(Matthew 6:33 (NRSV))
Many in our church community are without work. Most people are struggling to make ends meet, and as result a number of churches are hurting financially. Recently, there were insufficient funds in the church bank account to pay our basics and not much room for further budget cuts. We wanted to continue our ministry of worshipping, caring, and growing toward a Christ-healed Africa, but our mission needed money. I confess I was anxious. As I was sitting at the funeral of a colleague on a Friday morning, I had the distinct sense of God encouraging me to stop fussing and fretting about the church and to get on with the work to which I have been called. God’s peace enfolded me. That very Sunday, a church member handed me an envelope and explained that she had dreamed that her late husband instructed her to give this to the church. The envelope contained enough money to wipe out our deficit and keep us going for another few months! God had provided. I know full well a church cannot rely on one-time gifts for daily running costs, but I thank God I have learned all over again that this is primarily God’s work, not mine. We are privileged to be called to play a part and to trust God one day at a time.
The Author: Jeanette Krige (Gauteng, South Africa)
Thought for the Day: God is in charge, so I will trust.
Prayer: Dear giving God, this day we choose to serve you and trust you for our every need. Amen.

Prayer focus: Churches struggling financially
-------