Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:2
Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. —Psalm 100:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Let’s not be limited to singing only in church buildings and sanctuaries. Worship is a whole body and heart worship from all of our life (Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 22:36-40), based on our joy for what God has done for us in Jesus (Romans 5:6-11). Let’s make today a day of joyful songs as we sing our thanks and praise to God! My Prayer… Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for giving the gift of music to your human creatures. Thank you for all those gifted to write and share praise songs that bring joy to our hearts. We want you to be pleased with our praise as we listen and sing “joyful songs” to show our love for you and our heartfelt thanks to you for all you do and the blessings you have lavished upon us. In Jesus’ name, we thank and praise you. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Opening Blind Eyes
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker of Truth, I was frustrated with the religious leaders who added their own regulations to the commandments of the law and made those regulations more important than caring for a woman who had been bound by a crippled body for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). As you read the verses below, notice how My disciples come close to doing the same thing with a man who was blind. Rather than recognizing the difficulty of being blind and then caring for the blind man, My disciples asked an insensitive religious question about him within his hearing: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? My disciples did not view this man who had been blind since birth as someone in whom the deeds of God’s grace needed to be displayed. Instead, they used him as the pretext for a religious discussion. To them, the man and his problems were nothing more than a religious question — a question that cost them nothing. They spent no time ministering to his needs, caring for him as a child of God in need, or compassionately visiting with the man. He was just the object of their religious conversation. Anything that you do to objectify another person and treat that person as less than someone created in Our image is dehumanizing. No one should be reduced to little more than a topic of religious conversation between people who have no real interest in providing help. You are placed into your circle of relationships to make a difference in the lives of the people around you. Listen to the conversations around you. Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see the “blind men” that other people around you miss, objectify, or turn into nothing more than a matter for discussion. Look for ways to demonstrate My love and grace by serving these people. Verses to Live The following verses begin a series of events that involved My healing a man who was born blind and then proceed to the things that occurred as a result of that healing. We will address more aspects of these events later. Today, notice how I treat this man as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display,” yet nearly all the people he meets treat him as less than a person created in the image of God. While walking along the road, Jesus saw a man who was blind since his birth. Disciples: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? Jesus: Neither. His blindness cannot be explained or traced to any particular person’s sins. He is blind so the deeds of God may be put on display. While it is daytime, we must do the works of the One Who sent Me. But when the sun sets and night falls, this work is impossible. Whenever I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. After He said these things, He spat on the ground and mixed saliva and dirt to form mud, which He smeared across the blind man’s eyes. Jesus (to the blind man): Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means “sent,” and its name reminded us that his healing was sent by God. The man went, washed, and returned to Jesus, his eyes now alive with sight. Then neighbors and others who knew him were confused to see a man so closely resembling the blind beggar running about. Townspeople: Isn’t this the man we see every day sitting and begging in the streets? Others: This is the same man. Still Others: This cannot be him. But this fellow bears an uncanny resemblance to the blind man. Formerly Blind Man: I am the same man. It’s me! Townspeople: How have your lifeless eyes been opened? Formerly Blind Man: A man named Jesus approached me and made mud from the ground and applied it to my eyes. He then said to me, “Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” I went and washed, and suddenly I could see. Townspeople: Where is this man Who healed you? Formerly Blind Man: I don’t know. (John 9:1-12) Response in Prayer O God, help me see the people that You place in my path each day — the very people that You placed there so that I can share Your grace with them. Forgive me when I have treated others as little more than a religious or political or social question and have not heard Your call to love them into Your family. Open my eyes and my heart to see the people others neglect and ignore. Please use me to give them hope and to share a touch of Your grace with them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:1
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. —Psalm 100:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… With joy, let’s praise and make a joyful noise to the LORD of lords and the King of kings. Let’s do it today! Let’s find short moments during our day, seize them, and use them to give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven. Let’s do it audibly and passionately with all of our hearts. As we are blessed, let’s take a moment and pause for praise. As we think about what God has done for us in Jesus, let’s make a joyful shout of joyous praise to the LORD. In every good thing, let’s share a phrase of praise to our gracious Father, giving thanks for the Son as we are filled with the Spirit! My Prayer… Loving and gracious Father, God of mercy and might, I find it incredible that you let me know you and praise you with my human words and emotions. You are the marvelous and holy Creator, yet you graciously listen to me, one of your mortal creatures. Your mercy saved me, so I enthusiastically praise you! Your love has remade me by your grace in Jesus and through the power of your Holy Spirit; I thank you! Your strength has given me the power to change; I shout for joy because of you. You are wonderful, dear Father, and I love you with all my heart. I offer you all of my thanks, praise, and joyous appreciation in the name of Jesus, your greatest gift. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
One Last Season for Fruit?
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, In your day, people have really toned down some of My message in order to be more politically correct. Remember, however, that the religious leaders of My day killed Me because they knew I was a threat to their ungodly way of doing things. I never taught or preached violence. In fact, My voluntary submission to the cross should tell you a lot about My heart in this matter. When the soldiers came to arrest Me in the Garden of Gethsemane — right before My trials and crucifixion — Peter grabbed a sword and began to fight to protect Me. Since I would not be using violence as a means of My own protection, I told him to put away the sword (John 18:3-11). Hypocritical and self-serving Jewish religious leaders considered Me a threat to their power and status because I denounced them and their ungodly approach to religion. In addition, I was transforming lives and gathering devoted disciples who were realizing the errors of the religious leaders, making me an even greater threat. My devoted disciples were interested in My true identity as Son of God, Messiah, and Lord because they had seen My power and also My compassion. The leaders could not deny or explain away My power that made Me even a greater threat. Nor could these leaders deny My compassion that moved people to follow Me, making Me a growing threat. These leaders knew they had to eliminate the threat — to kill Me and presumably to get Me out of the way. My journey to Jerusalem was a purposeful march into their trap. But hear this with your heart, please: I ached for My people and My country and the primary city of My people — even for the leaders who were about to reject, ridicule, and crucify Me. I knew they were leading the Jewish people down the path to destruction. I knew the time was short. I knew they could repent — truly change from the inside out — if they would give themselves over to the Father’s will and follow Me. For three years, I taught, told stories, preached, counseled, visited, healed, shepherded, and cared for the needy, the broken, the outcast, the sinner, and the commoner. Many were coming to faith in Me. I went to the houses of the rich, and I met with powerful religious leaders to discuss truth. I even healed valued family members of both Jewish and Roman leaders. Some of these people came to faith in Me. The problem was that I also confronted the religious establishment. I rightly called them hypocrites. I challenged their legalistic answers that departed from the Father’s will. Then, I called them to repentance. John the Baptist, My cousin whom Herod executed, spent time warning of the need for repentance and preparing the people for My coming. Many had changed their hearts and their lives to be ready for Me. Not so for most of those in power. In the verses that follow, you will read two stories about disasters and then you find a parable about a fig tree. The stories about disasters are reminders that bad things happen to good people. If destruction can befall them and they are undeserving of their hardships, how much more will destruction come to those who ignore, resist, and try to extinguish the Voice of God — Me, Jesus of Nazareth, God come in human flesh! In the parable about the fig tree, I shared a not-so-subtle warning: God’s people needed to repent, or our precious city of Jerusalem would face destruction. Such a thought gave Me great anguish. Salvation was on the doorstep of My people, and they chose the power of Rome and the security of the status quo over Me. Rome, the seat of power for that terrible lion of an empire that had oppressed them for decades, would tear them apart, and leave no stone standing. With My heart breaking for such impending disaster, I shared a parable about asking the owner of the vineyard — a reference the people in My time would recognize as God (the Father) — to give the people more time to turn their hearts toward Him. As the “vineyard keeper” in the parable, I asked for one last season for the people of Jerusalem — the “fig tree” — to bear fruit for God. I worked to bring My people to repentance and save the city of David. I gave My people another opportunity to turn their hearts toward Me and find the salvation the Father wanted to bring them. Unfortunately, they would not. Verses to Live You face a hard challenge as you read the verses that follow. The warnings that I gave were not heeded, and destruction came to Jerusalem. So how do you apply these verses? Let My words fall on your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to use them to speak to those things in your own heart that you have not yet surrendered to Me. Any other sources on which you rely for salvation will prove false. Any other source of ultimate meaning and purpose for your life will prove shallow. So let these words remind you of a previous theme: urgency! Your commitment to the holy transformation that everyone needs should be immediate and permanent. No one should waste time in making that commitment! As He [Jesus] said this, some people told Him the latest news about a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem — a group not unlike Jesus’ own entourage. Pilate butchered them while they were at worship, their own blood mingling with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus: Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes his steps. —Proverbs 16:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We’re now a week and a half into the new year. How are you doing with those changes, commitments, and resolutions you made for this year? Don’t give up or quit on them, even if you’re having trouble staying on track. Remember that only one commitment is essential for this year: Asking the LORD where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do, then we go there and do it. Let’s ask the LORD to lead us by his Holy Spirit and establish our steps! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Holy God, almighty LORD, my Abba Father, thank you for being wondrous, holy, and mighty. Thank you for tenderly caring about me, my life, my decisions, and my struggles. Please guide me by your Holy Spirit as I seek to understand your Scriptures and discern your will for my life. I want to have you fully establish my steps. In Jesus’ name, I ask for this guidance. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
**Can’t You See the Urgency?
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, You need to treat the issues of the kingdom with a sense of urgency. There is never a time to be complacent. As you read the verses below, you will see that I emphasized the need for a great sense of urgency. For those who first heard My words in the verses below, there was going to be an important moment of decision. My rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection were going to lead to a moment of supreme decision for everyone. This moment of supreme decision for all who knew and heard Me was coming sooner than anyone wanted to recognize. This decision would tear families apart because some would wholly reject Me, considering Me a blasphemer and a troublemaker, while others would see Me as I AM — the Holy One of God sent to save them. For you, this decision is one you must make continuously: What will you do with Me? Am I a liar and a lunatic or Lord? And if I am Lord, how then will you live differently from those around you? Yes, this is a decision of continuous urgency! Verses to Live While you don’t face exactly the same scenario as these first hearers of My message, you are confronted with a challenge by the things I’ve said. You must feel a sense of urgency about where to invest your life. Your attachment to the world can easily lead you to live in apathy and approach important spiritual matters with complacency. So I’m challenging you today with passionate and serious language and strong images because you must decide what you are going to do with Me. Jesus to His disciples: This is serious business we’re involved in. My mission is to send a purging fire on the earth! In fact, I can hardly wait to see the smoke rising. I have a kind of baptism to go through, and I can’t relax until My mission is accomplished! Do you think I’ve come with a nice little message of peace? No way. Believe Me, My message will divide. It will divide a household of five into three against two or two against three. It will divide father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (speaking to the crowd) You see a cloud arise from the sea in the west, and you can say, “Here comes a shower!” And you’re right. Or you feel the hot wind blowing in from the desert in the south and you say, “It’s going to be really hot!” And you’re right. Listen, hypocrites! You can predict the weather by paying attention to the sky and the earth, but why can’t you interpret the urgency of this present moment? Why don’t you see it for yourselves? Imagine you’re being sued. You and your accuser are on your way to court. Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to settle out of court before you stand before the magistrate? After all, he might drag you to stand before the judge, and the judge might hand you over to the police, and they might throw you in jail. Once you’re in jail, it’s too late: you’re not going anywhere until you’ve paid in full. (Luke 12:49-59) Response in Prayer Almighty God, I confess that I can become complacent, sometimes even apathetic, about my life as Jesus’ disciple. There are so many things crowding into my heart for my attention. So today, I pray the prayer Moses offered many centuries ago: Lord, “teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.”* I want to live every moment for Jesus with passion and courage. I don’t want to waste any moments You give me and fritter away my life on what doesn’t matter eternally. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. * Psalm 90:12 ESV, from a psalm described as “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 2:22
Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? —Isaiah 2:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “If only I had a friend.” “If only my father hadn’t left.” “If only she was more supportive.” “If only…” Even though we know deep down that people can and will often fail us, we still pin so many of our hopes on them — or excuse our failure on not having the right ones of them in our lives. However, people are fallible and mortal, just like we are. So, while we are involved in other people’s lives and we’re connected to other believers in Jesus, let’s also remember to keep our hopes connected to the Son of God, who “destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 2:11) and who will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 8:37-39). My Prayer… Dear Father, please forgive me when I have pinned my well-being and happiness on being accepted by a particular group of people or supported by another special person. Even more, dear Father, I ask for your forgiveness for excusing my weaknesses and for strength to overcome my bitterness because I blamed you for not having the right people in my life. I know my only lasting hope is in Jesus. So, I pray this in the name of the always faithful, LORD Jesus. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
A Different Kind of Savings Plan
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, As I will say in the verses below, what I am talking to you about today is a matter of urgency: I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. I am calling you to live by a different economy from those in the world around you! You need to live with kingdom urgency and invest your life in what truly matters. Now some of you are not sure what I mean when I use the term kingdom. Ultimately, the kingdom will come fully when I return and bring those who are Mine home to the Father. But, I want to remind you that I taught you to pray these words: Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this: Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy. Bring about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10) When I taught you to pray this way, I wasn’t talking about just the ultimate coming of the kingdom when I return for you. I was also talking about bringing the way of life that reflects Our (Father, Son, and Spirit’s) nature into your world. When you pray this way, you are saying that you want Our righteous character and gracious compassion to enter the world right now through you. You are making a commitment to that kind of prayer that you will treat others, especially the weak and vulnerable, the way that I treated them when I was on earth. That means that your approach to money, investing, friendship, work, forgiveness, accountability, sexual ethics, gender relations, purity, along with a host of other things, will demonstrate what I taught and lived when I was on earth. To bring the kingdom to your time, you have to live counter-culturally to the world around you. You must live for something other than what the people around you pursue. There is an urgency about this. Your younger and emerging adults have great skepticism about My followers and their churches because they have not seen this kingdom urgency in you. So much of their skepticism can be blamed on some disingenuous leaders and greedy imposters claiming to be My shepherds. These charlatans have crowded the media stage, begging for money and pronouncing a morality that they personally do not live. While the vast majority of the leaders in My church are good and decent people, the few who have made headlines have played right into the devil’s hands so he could make Me and those who follow Me look bad. Another problem is that so few of My followers actually live with kingdom urgency. Listen to My words of warning in the verses below about being “apathetic” and “complacent”. Seek My kingdom first — seek the righteousness and compassion that I demonstrated in My ministry. The Father longs to give you the kingdom, yet you must be seeking it, longing for it, and living it if you are going to see My kingdom come! Verses to Live As you read these words from Luke, please know this: if you live for My kingdom and My righteousness, you will be investing in what can’t be stolen, won’t decay, and will never depreciate. Your heart will pursue what I pursued. And the Father? Well, the Father will be overjoyed to give you what your heart has pursued! Jesus to His disciples: My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom. That means you can sell your possessions and give generously to the poor. You can have a different kind of savings plan: one that never depreciates, one that never defaults, one that can’t be plundered by crooks or destroyed by natural calamities. Your treasure will be stored in the heavens, and since your treasure is there, your heart will be lodged there as well. I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. If you’re apathetic and complacent, then you’ll miss the moment of opportunity. You should be wide awake and on your toes like servants who are waiting for their master to return from a big wedding reception. They’ll have their shoes on and their lamps lit so they can open the door for him as soon as he arrives home. How fortunate those servants will be when the master knocks and they open the door immediately! You know what the master will do? He’ll put on an apron, sit them down at the kitchen table, and he’ll serve them a midnight snack. The later he comes home — whether it’s at midnight or even later, just before dawn — the more fortunate the alert servants will be. In contrast, imagine a complacent, apathetic household manager whose house gets robbed. If he had been aware that thieves were waiting in the bushes and what hour they were coming, he would have watched and he never would have left the house! I’m trying to tell you that these are times for alertness, times requiring a sense of urgency and intensity, because like the master in the first story or the thief in the second, the Son of Man shows up by surprise. Peter: Lord, I’m not sure if this parable is intended only for us disciples or if this is for everyone else too. Jesus: Imagine the stories of two household managers, and decide for yourself which one is faithful and smart. Each household manager is told by his master to take good care of all his possessions and to oversee the other employees — the butlers, cooks, gardeners, and so on. One servant immediately busies himself in doing just what he was told. His master eventually comes to check on him and rewards him with a major promotion and with more responsibility and trust. The other household manager thinks, “Look, my boss is going to be gone for a long time. I can be complacent; there’s
Today’s Verse – Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. —Lamentations 3:25 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Out of the ashes of Jerusalem’s destruction and the disaster that befell God’s people because of their repeated disobedience comes this reminder of truth. Those who wait patiently, hope fervently, and seek the LORD will find their soul’s deepest needs met. So, we can wait quietly, not complaining but anticipating our salvation coming from the LORD! My Prayer… Give me patience and faith, please, O God, to wait quietly on your deliverance when life is hard and everything seems to be against me. I believe that you are good to those who persevere, waiting patiently in hope for your mighty deliverance. Dear Father, please give me the strength I desperately need to wait quietly in faith, trusting that I will receive your salvation and your blessing as I live to honor you. In the name of your Son, Jesus, I confidently pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Getting Past Your Worries
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Yesterday, I spoke to you about fear. Today I want to talk to you about worry and sins that lie behind so many of your worries: greed and insufficient faith! Listen carefully as I remind you of three key principles you will see in the verses below. I gave these principles to My disciples to help them defeat the power of worry in their lives. Please know that Luke wrote about these three principles to help you defeat worry, too! Principle 1: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions. Greed is insidious and destructive — in fact, it is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). Greed means the things you have are never enough. Greed opens the door for you to trample all over people to get things. Greed makes you think you deserve and own the things that you have, rather than seeing them as blessings from Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — to be used to bring the influence of Our kingdom into your fallen world. Principle 2: Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father Who knows all your needs. When I spoke to you yesterday about fear, I reminded you that you are precious to Us. Please remember and believe that truth. Why would the Father send Me to be sacrificed for you if you were not precious? Why would I pour out the Holy Spirit upon you, to live within you, if you are not precious to us? With so many less important things in your world that receive Our gracious provision, why would We ever abandon you when you are so precious to Us? Principle 3: Since you don’t need to worry — about security and safety, about food and clothing — then pursue God’s kingdom first and foremost, and these other things will come to you as well. My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom. Worry is often the byproduct of having your focus on the wrong things and not having sufficient faith in Us and Our promises. If your consuming passion is to follow Me and to bring the gracious benefits of My kingdom to your broken world, then you are not going to have time to focus on temporary stuff that doesn’t ultimately matter. Honor the Father with all of your heart. Love people as I have loved you. You must believe that when you focus on these two important things, all the other things in your life will fall into their proper place. Verses to Live Here are My words about worry. Remember My three principles; they are not simply suggestions to you, but they are given to help you find life. Person in the Crowd: Teacher, intervene and tell my brother to share the family inheritance with me. Jesus: Since when am I your judge or arbitrator? Then He used that opportunity to speak to the crowd. Jesus: You’d better be on your guard against any type of greed, for a person’s life is not about having a lot of possessions. (then, beginning another parable) A wealthy man owned some land that produced a huge harvest. He often thought to himself, “I have a problem here. I don’t have anywhere to store all my crops. What should I do? I know! I’ll tear down my small barns and build even bigger ones, and then I’ll have plenty of storage space for my grain and all my other goods. Then I’ll be able to say to myself, ‘I have it made! I can relax and take it easy for years! So I’ll just sit back, eat, drink, and have a good time!’” Then God interrupted the man’s conversation with himself. “Excuse Me, Mr. Brilliant, but your time has come. Tonight you will die. Now who will enjoy everything you’ve earned and saved?” This is how it will be for people who accumulate huge assets for themselves but have no assets in relation to God. (then, to His disciples) This is why I keep telling you not to worry about anything in life — about what you’ll eat, about how you’ll clothe your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than fancy clothes. Think about those crows flying over there: do they plant and harvest crops? Do they own silos or barns? Look at them fly. It looks like God is taking pretty good care of them, doesn’t it? Remember that you are more precious to God than birds! Which one of you can add a single hour to your life or 18 inches to your height by worrying really hard? If worry can’t change anything, why do you do it so much? Think about those beautiful wild lilies growing over there. They don’t work up a sweat toiling for needs or wants — they don’t worry about clothing. Yet the great King Solomon never had an outfit that was half as glorious as theirs! Look at the grass growing over there. One day it’s thriving in the fields. The next day it’s being used as fuel. If God takes such good care of such transient things, how much more you can depend on God to care for you, weak in faith as you are. Don’t reduce your life to the pursuit of food and drink; don’t let your mind be filled with anxiety. People of the world who don’t know God pursue these things, but you have a Father caring for you, a Father Who knows all your needs. Since you don’t need to worry — about security and safety, about food and clothing — then