Worry

^{Luke 12: 22} And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 

Even though we’re told not to worry about our life, we still do.  And even though we’re reminded that we are more valuable than the birds (who don’t even work for their food), we forget.  And although we know God will feed us and clothes us, we worry that maybe he won’t.

Why do we do this?  See that phrase “for this reason…?”  Read the story Jesus tells right before these verses.  When we worry and fret over the things God has already promised us, we often focus on those temporal things, and forget about the eternal.

The eternal is what matters, and that is where our real treasure lies.

These verses need to be read in their entirety, including the story told beforehand, to really grasp what Jesus is telling us about the value of life.  Life with him, and what we do for the kingdom, is what counts.  All the other stuff will be given to us, if we get this truth in our hearts.  And when we fret over all the other "stuff" more than the kingdom, worry sets in...