Tag Archives: Reduce Stress

Jesus says to live for today (Matthew 6: 24-34)

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Bible Summary:

Jesus tells the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount, “No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” He says not to worry about food, drink or clothes. Life is more than that. God feeds the birds and clothes wild grass – “that is here today and gone tomorrow” – and wild flowers with beautiful colors. You of little faith should not worry about tomorrow, but be concerned with what God requires of you, and then He will provide all you need.

My Thoughts:

Serving two masters: You cannot serve God and money. Hmm? I have heard people use this phrase to admonish the rich for accumulating wealth and not sharing through charity, but Jesus did not target the rich in this part of the story. His message was very basic – down to food and clothing – that refers to every man, woman and child.

Worry and Stress: The real message is about worry and stress, which doctors today are confirming can shorten your life. Jesus tells everyone not to worry about tomorrow that God will provide enough of your basic needs as long as you serve Him.

Life is short: Jesus essentially said to live for today since life is short – “here today and gone tomorrow.” You really only have today, this moment. All the guilt or concern over what you did or failed to do, or wrongs that happened to you in the past are just that, in the past. There is nothing you can do to change what happened then. And, the future is but a dream. Planning is good so you have a road map where you would like to go – your hopes and dreams – but they are only accomplished by living and acting upon them today. So, start those dreams today, even by taking just small steps in that direction. God is looking for you to answer his call – start now.

Moses Solves the Bitter Water (Exodus 15)

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Bible Summary:

Moses and the Israelites celebrate their victory over the Egyptians with a song that describes the power of God’s right hand in drowning the army in the Red Sea plus the fear in the tribes neighboring Canaan.

Then Moses leads the Israelites away from the Red Sea and across a desert for three days without water. They finally find water but it is too bitter to drink, so the Israelites complain to Moses. He prays to God and learns a type of wood to throw into the water to make it fit to drink.

Later, God tells the Israelites laws to live by and warns them to obey or He will punish them with diseases like the Egyptians.

My Thoughts:

No Water: Can you imagine walking three days across a desert without water, only to finally finding some that you cannot drink? Today, people complain if the faucet is off just a couple hours for repairs. We take so many things for granted that we fail to see how blessed we truly are. Next time you are in a situation you would normally complain, stop, ask how long before things will be cleared up, and then go do something else: take a walk, talk to a friend, read a book, etc. You will be surprised how this approach can reduce your stress and improve your relationships.

Unwritten Commandments: I was surprised to hear that God was already laying down the laws, though just verbally, shortly after freeing the Israelites. I always thought they came down first in hard copy with the Ten Commandments. Guess we will find out more as the story unfolds.