Carefree Living

by Carey Hess

Day 1: Anxiety (Read Matthew 6:25)
When Jesus speaks about being anxious about our lives; He is really asking us about what is in our hearts and what is central in our lives. Perhaps a better term for anxiety in this sense might be “concern”. Our hearts need to be filled with something and Jesus wants them to be filled with Him, not with the things of this world. Are we concerned about how much money we make, getting ahead in our jobs, acquiring more “things” and buying fancier clothes? Jesus knows that if these are the concerns of our hearts; we will have no room for Him and God’s kingdom (Luke 10: 41-42). What dwells in our hearts becomes the focus of our lives and if our lives are focused on the things of this world; we cannot have a relationship with Jesus. If our concern is for worldly possessions and they become the focus of our lives then we will constantly be anxious that they will be taken away and/or that we need to acquire more “just in case” we don’t have enough.

God knows that we need food, clothing and shelter and He generously provides these to us but He wants us to make Him the main concern of our hearts by living in the Word and serving Him and others. If we worry and fret about hoarding material goods and are “concerned” that we might lose them then we will not be free to glorify and serve Him. Anxiety and stress over the “things” of this world do nothing but hinder our relationship with God (Philippians 4:6).

What are some situations or needs that cause you to be anxious and worry? Who or what do you rely on to get over your anxiety so that you can lead a carefree life?

Day 2: Lessons from the Birds (Read Matthew 6:26)
What a strange and wonderful thing Jesus does when He asks us to consider the nature and habits of birds in comparison to the way we live our lives. Jesus certainly knows His audience and He knows that the majority of the people that He is addressing are simple, agrarian, poor people; but they are people who certainly have a good understanding of nature.

If birds can fly around and be carefree; then why can’t we? God provides for the birds and they accept it freely and without worry that they won’t have enough or that they need a place to store it up for later.

God loves us so much more than the birds but we constantly fret that we won’t have enough to sustain us. But Jesus knows that first we must be fed with the “Bread of Life” (John 6:35). Jesus wants us to understand that “our daily bread” is a free gift from God. We are fed not by our own hard work but by God’s grace and we must daily accept it without questioning where it came from or how we got it. We need to understand that God provides for us daily all that we need and that everything that we have comes from God.

Only when we accept and are fed with the true bread of heaven will we be free from concern about having enough food to nourish our bodies (John 6:32-34).

Day 3: Life Span (Read Matthew 6:27)
Jesus wants us to take care of our bodies and not live our lives in a reckless manner; but He also knows that we are mortal and that our days are numbered (Psalm 139: 13-17). He wants us to live in the freedom of living each and every day secure in the knowledge that God is in control and we can rest knowing that we are the recipients of God’s grace and love.

Even if we might be terminally ill we are to live each day to the fullest by living in the Word; confident of God’s love and care for us. We are to be content no matter what the condition of our health or circumstances (Philippians 4: 8-13).

When our earthly life is over we are reassured that we will have a heavenly home waiting for us and will be in God’s presence for eternity (John 14: 1-4).
There is no better “Life” insurance policy than the assurance of God’s grace, love and care for us.

Day 4: Arrayed in Glory (Read Matthew 6:28-32)
Have you ever had the pleasure of stopping along a roadside to view a beautiful field of wildflowers? Perhaps the flowers were intentionally planted or perhaps they were miraculously grown from seeds carried by the wind or birds. It really doesn’t matter how they got there but their beauty is breathtaking. In God’s eyes we are even more beautiful and breathtaking.

God loved us so much that He created us in His own image (Genesis 1: 37). Surely, if God loved and cared enough about us to create us in His own image then certainly He has much greater plans for us than flowers that will wither and die.

Jesus isn’t speaking here about dressing us up in worldly clothing; He isn’t interested about what kind of clothing we are wearing but about whether or not we are being clothed for God’s kingdom. Whether someone is dressed in rags or haute couture; all are beautiful in God’s eyes. Jesus came to dress us in God’s grace and glory through the Spirit and the Word.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we, as God’s precious, beloved children, could see each other through His eyes and not judge one another by worldly clothing?

Day 5: First Seek the Kingdom (Read Matthew 6:33-34)
If we first seek God’s Kingdom and pray to do His will then we really have no room for anxiety or concern about our lives. Only when we realize that God is truly in control and that we are merely sinful humans that we can truly be free to live in the joy of God’s grace and love in Christ Jesus.

No one truly knows, except God, what the future holds but we still worry and stress out about our plans for the future. We try to make elaborate plans and schedules; we accumulate money and stock portfolios thinking that these things will provide for our future. But, what happens when pension funds disappear, a business fails, good friends abandon us, you experience the loss of a loved one or you experience bad health? It is during these times of anxiety that we can only be comforted by the assurance of God’s love, care and grace for us (Psalm 46).

Some of the best advice that I ever received was from a Pastor who told me: “when you are going through a very bad time; do something for someone else. Helping another person takes your mind off of your troubles, benefits the other person, and you are doing God’s will in the world.”

We only have this moment, this day to take care of and God wants us to make the best use of our time by living for Him and His kingdom.

Do you want to enjoy the carefree life? Only through listening to the Word, working for God’s kingdom, and joyfully living in His grace can we enjoy true freedom. What a blessing to know that God is walking right beside us during our moments of joy, grief, sorrow and heartbreak.

First seek His kingdom and everything else will be given to you (Luke 18: 29-30).