MATTHEW 6 : 19-34,

19: Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23: But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25: Therefore 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?
26: Behold 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?
27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28: And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30: Wherefore, 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?
31: Therefore 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.
33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34: Take 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.

First of all from the passage above, let us look at the reasons why we worry, then we can look at how we can stop the habit of worry, if we have one.

(1) The first reason is that we lay up treasures upon the earth. Not that we can not have treasures on the earth, but when Jesus says where moth and rust doth corrupt, talking about these treasures, it means our hearts and minds are set on them.

(2) The second reason is because thieves would always break through and steal (these treasures) or even if they do not, we worry they would.

(3) The third reason is that we do not lay up treasures in heaven, which is far more secure (where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal).

(4) Our treasure is on the things on earth and not on the things in heaven

(5) The light of the body is not the light of God, that is, we do not follow the leading of God nor have His spirit within us. That is why the Bible says above that “therefore if thine eye be single,” that is, if we must close our eyes to all other things and just follow God blindly. If we follow the devil blindly, we would only have darkness, a consequence of “an evil eye,” greed, jealousy, pride, etc ( Matthew 6 : 23).

(6) We want to serve two masters, God and Mammon. We say we love God but we also love money at the same time, thereby in the process hating God.

(7) We take thought for our lives, what we would eat, what we would wear and so on. That is, we worry about these and we are anxious about them.

(8) We do not behold nature to see the wonderful Creation of God, for example when we look at how God feeds the birds, makes beautiful lilies to grow, etc. How did we grow in the womb for nine months? How did we grow from a single cell to a baby. Have we ever considered these?

(9) We do not consider that we are some of the most wonderful Creation of God ( Matthew 6: 26).

( 10) And as if to represent completeness as one of the most important, if really it is not the most important; We want to do the things for ourselves only what God Himself can do. We want want to do, or think we can do, only what God can do for us. What we usually go about doing is similar to the act of trying to increase our stature or lifespan, or like making a white hair black, for example. Not that we cannot succeed in a very limited way by doing this, but really it would take a long time and we would be stressed , if ever we did.

So what should we do so as not to worry?

(1) Number one, let us know our limitations. Jesus says in the in the account in Luke, if you cannot do that which is least, why do you think you can do greater things.

(2) We should remember all other things God has done in the past (e.g, the life of Solomon).

(3) We should remember the Gentiles. Sometimes, some people because they know a person has hypertension want someone to worry out of envy and undue competition. God does not say those who do not have a job should not worry. You must work like the Gentiles. It is a pity that in this part of the world, there are no safety nets for those who have no means to support themselves or are sick, even though we are swimming in petrodollars.

God wants us to live from one day to the next. A bit of stress is actually good for one’s body, but it is not good to transfer the stress from one day to the next. Scientists have found out that the stress hormone, Cortisol, is actually good for the body in small amounts. Jesus, who is the WORD of God, created everything gives us this advice we should let the day’s evil be sufficient for itself. We had better take heed to the advice.

(5) We should just not worry (Matthew 6:31 ). If you cannot get worry out of your mind at any moment, just try to get and read an interesting book, for example.

(6) we should seek the things of God first in our lives. WE can also look at Luke 16 : 1-13 and Luke 12 : 13 -59.

LUKE 16 : 1 -13,

1: And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
2: And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
3: Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4: I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5: So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6: And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7: Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
8: And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9: And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11: If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12: And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
13: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

LUKE 12 : 13-59,

13: And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14: And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20: But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21: So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
22: And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
23: The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
24: Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
25: And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26: If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27: Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28: If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29: And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30: For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31: But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32: Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33: Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35: Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36: And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37: Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38: And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39: And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40: Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41: Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42: And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
43: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44: Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45: But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46: The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47: And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48: But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49: I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?
50: But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
51: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53: The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
54: And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.
55: And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56: Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57: Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?
58: When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59: I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
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