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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? |
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| 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? |
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| 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of the |
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| 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? |
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| 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. |
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| 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:25-34)</i>
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| EXPOSITION: |
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 The essence of this principle of Jesus revolves round where our heart is. Is our heart motivation centered upon the world with it's cares and worries or focused upon the kingdom of God? If we focus upon the kingdom our earthly requirements (not wants) will be provided for us.
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| TESTIMONY: |
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In our family, as we grew up, my mother was the worrier. In her later years, she has almost overcome this trait. Dad, on the other hand, was the super optimist. It is said that opposites attract! Certainly applied to my parents - in this area at least.
I am of course, a mixture of my parents, but my nature tends towards the optimism of my father, although expressed in a less exuberant way. The result of my mothers influence.
However, this teaching of Jesus was not really about optimism and pessimism, but rather, about what is the focus of our life. What is our priority in life? Are we focused on the spiritual or the natural? Looking after ourselves in the here and now, or building up treasures in heaven? Building our own kingdom, or building the kingdom of God upon the earth?
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 There is indeed a battle in all our lives in this area. So easily the 'tyranny of the present', the reality of our circumstances, overrules the seemingly ethereal requirement of Jesus to build His kingdom, both in our lives and in the world in which we live.
For me, a major test, which I failed at the time, came 16 years ago, when Jesus called me into a fulltime, unpaid ministry. As I have explained previously, I first tried to make provision for myself and my family which turned out to be a disaster, resulting in bankruptcy.
That certainly challenged my focus and determination! Would I give up on the ministry, or rely upon Him to provide for us?
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 The past 16 years has been an interesting journey for us. No, we haven't had all our 'wants' met, but our 'needs' have been. Although we never have been profligate spenders, we did formerly have the choice to do many things, overseas holidays being one example, that we do not have the option to do now. We certainly live more simply, having the things we need, although not all we might want.
We do not have property or savings, so are reliant upon Him for our future provision. A worry? Being honest, sometimes, when we look at our friends. But I, in particular, for Kathy has never been particularly money orientated, have had to learn to believe what Jesus promises here. Yes, it is foolish in the eyes of the world. Many would regard me as irresponsible. But I do place my trust in His promises.
How about you?
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> SERMON ON THE MOUNT continues... |
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 ... A longer teaching, on judging others. Something we are all prone to do!
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 Worry prevents us from achieving our potential in God, as well as stopping us enjoying day to day life.
To stop worrying, we need to truly believe the promises of God. Helping others also helps, for it takes our mind off ourselves.
BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
EL AMARNA LETTERS
Could these tablets contain records of Joshua and the Hebrews conquering the land of Canaan?
Tel el Amarna was in ancient Egypt near the Nile River about halfway between Memphis and Thebes. In 1988 there were about 400 cuneiform tablets discovered at this site which were part of the royal archives of Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) who reigned about 1400 BC.
Among them were letters written in Babylonian cuneiform script to these Pharaohs of Egypt by various kings dwelling in the land of Canaan and Syria, they were written during the time of Moses. They provide the first evidence of the Hebrew tribes entering into the land of Canaan in ancient times.
Some of the tablets were anxious letters written from Jerusalem (Urusalim), warning the pharaoh an invasion by the 'Habiru [Khabiru]', who were approaching from Trans-Jordan.
It is interesting that Akhenaten's new capital, Akhetaton, which he built with his queen Nefertiti was at the same place as modern Amarna (Tell el Amarna).
The Amarna Letters discovery is highly important in the study of Biblical Archaeology because they refer to events in the middle east in the 15th and 14th centuries BC. They refer to the Hebrews, they give evidence of the trustworthiness of the book of Judges. They mention a lot about Canaan, the half of Israel to the west of the Jordan. This name "Canaan" has been found in Egyptian inscriptions of the New Kingdom. The king of Babylon used the word Canaan to designate the entire Egyptian province of Canaan when he wrote to Pharaoh: "Canaan is thy land and its kings are thy servants" (El-Amarna 8, 25)
The Tablets are from 3 inches wide and anywhere from 3 to 9 inches in length, and they are inscribed on both sides. The letters were written in Akkadian, which had been the language of international relations for some time. Today the Tell el Amarna Tablets are mainly in the British, Berlin and Cairo museums.
The original name of Jerusalem was Babylonian, Uru-Salim, "the city of Salim," shortened into Salem in Gen 14:18 and in the inscriptions of the Egyptian kings Ramses II and Ramses III. In the Tell el-Amarna Letters (1400 BC) Jerusalem is still known as Uru-Salim, and its king bears a Hittite name, implying that it was at the time in the possession of the Hittites. His enemies, however, were closing around him, and one of the tablets shows that the city was eventually captured and its king slain. These enemies would seem to have been the Jebusites, since it is after this period that the name "Jebus" makes its appearance for the first time in the Old Testament (Judges 19:10,11).
"But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it." Judges 19:10-11
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
99. Today’s worry rarely solves tomorrow’s problems.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Facts for Fun: http://www.wwj.org.nz/facts.php
Marriage and Family Facts: http://www.wwj.org.nz/maffacts.php
Just jokes: http://www.wwj.org.nz/jokes.php
Waxing Lyrical: http://www.wwj.org.nz/waxing.php
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