Tuesday

Related Verses
Matt. 6:25-26
25 Because of this, I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you should eat or what you should drink; nor for your body, what you should put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of heaven. They do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father nourishes them. Are you not of more value than they?

Phil. 4:6-7
6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every man’s understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

1 Pet. 5:7-9
7 Casting all your anxiety on Him because it matters to Him concerning you.
8 Be sober; watch. Your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking someone to devour.
9 Him withstand, being firm in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being accomplished among your brotherhood in the world.

Related Reading
“Although [Matthew 5—7 does] not actually use the words life and nature, from the context we can see that apart from the Father’s divine life and nature, these chapters are in vain. No one would be able to fulfill the requirements of the kingdom of the heavens without having the Father’s life and nature. Every constitution is based upon a certain kind of life…The constitution given by the Lord Jesus on the mountain was for the sons of God, and it was based upon the life and nature of the Father. Two verses in chapter 5 indicate this fact. Verse 9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God,” and verse 48 says, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 257-258) 

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There is no anxiety in the divine life and the divine nature. Anxiety is not of the divine life but of the human life, just as barking is of the dog life, not of the bird life. Our human life is a life of anxiety, whereas God’s life is a life of enjoyment, rest, comfort, and satisfaction. To God anxiety is a strange term. With Him there is no such thing as anxiety. Do you think that God has ever been anxious?…Although God has many desires, He has no anxiety. Our human life, on the contrary, is virtually composed of anxiety; it is constituted with it. Take anxiety away from a human being and the result will be death. A dead man has no anxiety…As long as you are a living person, you cannot escape from anxiety. 

Anxiety is the gear that makes the world move. It is the incentive for all human culture. If there were no anxiety regarding our living, no one would do anything. Rather, everyone would be idle. Thus, by touching our anxiety [in Matthew 6:19-34], the Lord touched the gear of human life. 

When the young people hear this word, they may say, “Hallelujah! Because the Lord Jesus has touched anxiety, the gear of human life, we don’t need to study or work hard. If we are hungry, we can simply eat some leftovers.” This concept is wrong. In 6:26 the Lord Jesus said, “Look at the birds of heaven. They do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father nourishes them.” If the Lord Jesus were here, I would ask Him, “Lord, You liken us to birds. The birds neither sow nor reap; they just fly in the air and do nothing. Lord, does this mean that we should not do anything? The birds feed on human labor. Lord Jesus, do You mean that we should take advantage of others? Should we forget about working and simply be birds in the air, enjoying life and taking advantage of the labor of others?” I would also ask the Lord, “Lord, You also liken us to lilies. Lilies don’t do anything but are clothed in more glory than Solomon (vv. 28-30). Are You saying that we should not do anything, that we should simply enjoy the air, the sunshine, the soil, and the water?” This is the concept held by many young people who quote these words of the Lord Jesus. They say, “Let’s be birds in the air and lilies in the valley.”…I ask these questions because I know the psychology of the young people. After spending so many years in school, they may be tired of studying. As they go from junior high to high school, from high school to college, and from undergraduate school to graduate school, the work becomes more difficult. Instead of studying so hard, many of the young people would rather be like birds flying in the air. If the young people are honest, they will admit that they have such a concept. 

Does the Lord intend that the young people finish school or drop out and be like birds in the air? It is wrong to have anxiety, for anxiety does not belong to the divine life. There is no anxiety in the life of God. However, the Lord does not mean that we should not do our duty. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 258-260) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Matthew, msg. 22