Consider the lilies
Today's focusJesus points to birds and flowers to show the Father's daily care, and invites us to seek his kingdom first and take life one day at a time.
Read
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Reflection
Jesus invites you to look closely at the world around you to understand how God cares for you. He points to the "fowls of the air" and the "lilies of the field" as living proof of the Father’s provision. The birds do not store up food in barns, and the flowers do not toil to make their own clothing, yet "your heavenly Father feedeth them" and arrays them in beauty greater than a king’s. By asking, "Are ye not much better than they?", Jesus reassures you that you are deeply valued. If God sustains the short-lived grass, he will surely care for you.
When you feel overwhelmed by worries about what you will eat or wear, remember that "your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Instead of being consumed by the cares of tomorrow, you are invited to "seek ye first the kingdom of God." Trusting him allows you to face life one day at a time, knowing that "the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself." Today, you can rest in his daily care.
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
What would it look like for you to live just today with God, instead of carrying all of tomorrow's troubles at once?
Pray
Heavenly Father, you feed the birds and clothe the flowers of the field, and you know what I need. Teach me to seek your kingdom first and to trust you with tomorrow. Give me grace for today.