Mission Venture Ministries

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25) 

When Jesus said do not worry, it was not a suggestion. It is a command. People may say, “But I can’t help feeling anxious, I have always been like this!” 

Our response should be, “Oh, yes you can, if you want to.” 

As Christ instructs against worrying, He lists five specific things that we should not worry about, namely our lives, what we will eat, what we will drink, about our bodies, and what we will clothe ourselves in. He closes the verse with a rhetorical question asking whether or not there is more to life than just food and more to the body than its clothing. 

Worry is a sin and demonstrates unbelief in God to keep His promises and His power to save… and worry is one of the greatest hindrances to our spiritual growth, Christian witness and effective ministry, because worry is one step towards unbelief – and for this reason Jesus said, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” 

Let us take a look at the key parts of this verse: 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry…” Having spoken of the love of money and treasure in heaven, Jesus now says, “Do not worry.” The Christian is here commanded not to worry. This should be a source of great encouragement as Paul tells the church at Philippi “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). 

“…about your life,” God holds your life in the palm of His hand, “so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus teaches us that our heavenly Father cares for us, and our life is important to our Creator, so we should trust Him and not doubt. 

“What you will eat or drink;” God is the One who provides our daily bread. He created us and commanded us to be productive, but even in our own productivity, we are to look to Him for our sustenance. As the psalmists write, “the eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16). 

“Or about your body, what you will wear.” Indeed, when Adam and Eve made their own clothes to cover their shame (Genesis 3:7), God made the first animal sacrifice to make clothes for them, forecasting the future sacrifice of His only Son to cover their nakedness and shame. 

“Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?” Jesus calls us to trust God for the basic things of life and to focus our eyes higher on more important things like His love, justice, mercy and truth. 

Worry occurs because of the way we respond to a problem or troubling situation because of our lack of faith. Our ability to choose is part of God’s gift of free will to every human being. We can choose how we feel, what we think about and how we will respond to a circumstance. 

There is a difference between a godly sense of responsibility and an ungodly, therefore we need to learn how to trust and leave the management of worry over material things with our heavenly Father. 

It is important to know God’s Word, believe His Word, and apply His Word in our lives – but too easily we allow the cares of the day to adversely impact our lives, causing anxieties, worries and fear to come back. 

May we take to heart the simple truth of this simple command from Christ and live by faith in His promises and not by flawed human reasoning which lead to worrying, anxiety and most of all unbelief because we are not trusting in the One who loves us and cares for us. 

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