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Subject 13 : The Gospel According to MATTHEW
[Chapter 6-5] Sufficient for the Day Is Its Own Trouble (Matthew 6:34)
(Matthew 6:34)
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
The Lord said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” The biggest enemy to the righteous who live a life of faith is worry. It is not even today’s worry, but worry for the future. To us, the righteous, the worries about the future are from our own shortcomings and weaknesses. Therefore, we may say, “This is who I am now, then, how can I not worry about tomorrow?”
It is only natural that we worry when we look at ourselves. However, if we see our shortcomings of today and look at ourselves, who do not seem to have the possibility of having any better futures, and predict our future, we cannot but worry about it. And this can make us give up our life of faith. This is because since we think that we know ourselves very well and that there is no guarantee that the future will be better, so when there is no hope, we come to fall on worries. And these worries wither away our faith thoroughly and make us fall on the fatal worries―“Should I give up my faith?”
However, our Lord says this. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” If we have anything that lacks now, we face it everyday for what lacks everyday. Tomorrow will worry about its own things, and sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
What happens when we fall on worries by looking at our own weaknesses and shortcomings? Just as a small yeast makes the entire bread rise up, to us humans, and even to the righteous, our hearts become covered with the shade of worries.
There is no one without weakness. Everyone has it. If we look at ourselves as 100%, let’s consider that someone is worrying about his present situation and about the future as the amount of 10% out of 100%. Just 10% out of 100% is in problem, but the rest 90% is okay. However, because of this 10%, we have an illusion that we only have things that we need to worry about. This 10% is overtaking the other 90% with the thought that we are lacking, weak, always make mistakes, cannot do anything, and the future cannot really be any better. As a result, this makes us someone who cannot do anything, that is, the enervated person.
However, in reality, our Lord said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” What the Lord said here is: “Is there anything you lack? If you have trouble today because of what lacks, it is enough trouble and you do not have to worry about what is going to lack in the future. Do not bring the troubles of the future into the present and suffer from them in anticipation.” The Lord says that tomorrow will worry about its own things.
What is in this teaching? When we see our lives as 100%, if there is 10% out of 100% that worries us, we only need to be troubled with that amount for the day. Of course, this does not mean that there will be no worries in the future. This does not mean we do not have any area where we are weak or lack. We all have that. However, if the weakness shows up, we only need to be troubled from the very areas that the weaknesses show up for the day. There is no reason why we need to bring up future worries into the present and worry now in anticipation. Our Lord is saying that we do not need to be frustrated with ourselves, thinking that we are a crippled person, who cannot do anything, and give up on ourselves because we are discouraged that we cannot live a life of faith anymore.
You and I are righteous people. However, we are not perfect in everything. Everyone has defects and weaknesses. When we first experience it, when we are just born again, it is ok. Why? Because we have still hope. It is ok because we have hope that it will change. But, as we live more and more in our lives of faith, it is not ok anymore. Just because we live a life of faith, our flesh does not change. Even Paul could not say that he had no shortcomings. Rather Paul said, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) We can find that he also was in his worries and weaknesses.
Therefore, when we find out about something that worries us, we must not bring in what should be in the future and die from the burden of worries. If we are going to be troubled because of some problems or our weaknesses, we can be in trouble whenever it shows up rather than give up the life of faith or die because we are lacking. This is the word of encouragement from our Lord. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We can be bold by believing in this teaching.
We, the righteous are to live for God and His righteousness. Even though we, the righteous have negative sides of our own, our lives are beautiful when we are in union with God’s Church. We, the servants of God also live for the Lord. We also have many shortcomings, worries, and weak areas. However, as a result of that, do we just suffer from them, and cannot move ahead? That is not so. We do stop worrying about them, and go ahead by faith in His Word.
No matter how hard we try to hide our weakness, we know that we cannot change ourselves, and, as a result, we can give up our life of faith. That’s why our Lord said, “Why do you worry, Do not worry for tomorrow. Do not worry in advance about what might possibly happen again tomorrow. When such things happen, and suffer because of it, it is enough to suffer that day.” We must not die today because of that, thinking that we do not have any hope, or give up our life of faith as we carry the heavy burden of worries, or grieve and lose our strength or die.
You and I all have weaknesses of the flesh. We all have shortcomings. One day’s suffering is enough for the day and there is no need to carry future suffering all at once and die. When we see perfectionists, we sometimes see that they anticipate themselves in the future and give up the path that they have not even been to. They look at themselves, count it like this: “I am such a person. I am really not fit for the Lord’s work and Lord’s Kingdom. And it is not in my nature to live a life of faith.” This 10% worries can make them despair, and eventually quit their lives of faith, saying, “I am not fit for it, so I am going to give up my life of faith.”
Therefore, you should know that this is the scheme of the devil. Not to fall on such worries, the Lord said to us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Even though we are not perfect people in our flesh, because Jesus has blotted out all our sins, all we have to do is suffer from the present troubles from moment to moment. If there is something that we really need to suffer, it is enough to suffer that day. Of course, we sometimes cannot but feel desperate because the 10% worries overwhelm all the rest 90% of our life of faith. But we must blow out the small flare of worries before it burns out all of our faith. We have to reaffirm that Jesus took all our weaknesses and shortcomings along with our sins when He was baptized by John the Baptist.
We must listen carefully to what the Bible says in Matthew 6:34. Every one of us, the righteous, who thinks deeply about himself must listen carefully to the Lord’s teaching. We must listen carefully to what Jesus says about not worrying about tomorrow. There must not be such a thing as looking at himself for tomorrow, worrying about it and giving up his life of faith. If we lack today, we suffer a little today, and if there is something tomorrow that lacks, suffer a little more tomorrow. We must not be like a perfectionist, who thinks “Oh, no. It’s impossible for me to follow Jesus,” and kill himself just as Judas did, and become foolish Christians or God’s workers. Do you understand what I am saying?
In reality, are there areas where you worry about the future and tomorrow? Yes, surely there are. The biggest one might be looking at ourselves and worrying about it. Because we are people, and especially the righteous ones among them, we worry a lot. If we worry about tomorrow, we die spiritually. We die now. Dying today without even having lived tomorrow is truly foolish.
What stumbles our faith is the worries of the world. It is worrying about tomorrow. It is the worries that we do alone hiding in our hearts and not telling anyone. The worries about our own today’s weaknesses and shortcomings, and possible repeats of them tomorrow make us collapse. Are we going to carry the burden alone and die alone, saying “I cannot tell anyone about this”? That’s not the will of God.
As in the Pilgrim’s Progress that is about going toward the Kingdom of God, we are the pilgrims. Peter also called the saints “as sojourners and pilgrims” (1 Peter 2:11). We are the pilgrims and travelers to the Kingdom, who live in this world as the wind that passes by. A traveler suffers moment-to-moment and day-to-day troubles. We cannot be travelers if want to worry about ‘where am I going to sleep, where am I going to rest.’ It is not wise if we bring our suffering up in advance and suffer them all at once and die. We must shout out in our heart, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
We have to confess in faith, saying, “It is true. Our Lord’s teaching is true. It is so. Our Lord taught me that when suffering comes, I just have to face it day to day and it is not wise to bring up future suffering and suffer it now in advance. Truly, just as the Lord teaches, I suffer my sufferings day to day, and if God allows any trouble to come to me, and I then just suffer it on the day that He allows it.”
We do not know what happens tomorrow, and do not know how hard it will be no matter how big of a shortcoming shall be exposed. Worries may rise from day to day, but I hope you are not impeding the Lord’s will because of such worries. We, the righteous people live by the Lord’s will at least 90%. It is only about 10% of us that is buried in our own weaknesses. Everyone is buried in his weakness about 10% anyway. Therefore, we should not be killed as a result of that. We should not kill ourselves because of that, either. It is written, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Are you sure that it is sufficient for you to suffer just today’s trouble? Yes, we are.
Dear fellow Christians, do you have suffering? Do you have worries? ―Yes.― If we have sufferings today, we must suffer only for it today. Then it is over. Tomorrow is a new day. I say this to all the saints and the male and female servants of God: The Lord has told us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” How great a truth is this? So precious is this admonition!
If our Lord has not said this, we would still be bound with our present weaknesses and even die from the overwhelming worries by anticipating our weaknesses of the future, saying, “I must do the same thing in the future.” This is the same pessimism that Judas Iscariot had. Judas was remorseful seeing that Jesus had been condemned, and then he threw down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself, saying, “I am a person who should die like this.” Did he seem conscientious by that? No! That is not the will of our Lord.
Killing yourselves to take responsibility for what you have done is not the only way to offer obedience before the Lord. “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Our life is troublesome and imperfect. Such is our life. If we must suffer because we are not perfect, then we should only suffer for the moment when our imperfection shows up. I hope you do not become one of those suffering in advance and die, or give up your faith today for your fear of the future.
We must not be the masters of ourselves. The Lord is the only Master of all of us. It is correct that the more we live a life of faith, the more we feel our insufficiencies. However, we must not worry about what would happen to us tomorrow. Tomorrow is tomorrow and now is now.
This is all that I can share with you. If you understood one thing, I believe my preaching has been successful. This is why I always repeat the same teaching again and again within a sermon.
Truly, we are those who cannot but die with all our worries for tomorrow. You and I cannot but be such beings if we are only in our fleshly thoughts. However, our Lord has saved us, who are like that, with His Word of the water and the Spirit. And He admonishes us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Our Lord has saved us from our worries and our imperfection. He saved you and me. Dear fellow Christians, is it not right? ―Yes.―
Those who give up their life of faith look ahead at what might happen tomorrow and worry in advance and have given up their life of faith. There is a great possibility that such people will increase. This is why our Lord says this. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” We must only suffer today what is necessary for us to suffer this day. There is no one who does not have that much suffering, and the Lord God has made us the righteous who can overcome all of our sufferings with faith. Whether the sufferings are from our own shortcomings, or from the persecution the Lord allowed, we just have to suffer from them that day and there is no reason why we need to worry about them in advance. This is faith. Our Lord took over all our weaknesses. Our God not only has saved us from all our sins, but also from all our worries. When we believe it and follow the Lord, we feel that there are no worries, concerns, fear or grief at all.
If we did not have this teaching today, there is a great possibility that we will say, “Oh, I give up right now. Oh I will die now!” in our life of faith. When it is near the Lord’s coming, I am sure that we will see many such people. It is because the anticipation of this time makes everyone expose the more shortcomings. Our worries increase because of the world being chaotic and it is difficult to live, but you must not worry about tomorrow’s worries in advance today and die to today. I hope you become those who worry about tomorrow’s troubles tomorrow. I also hope you believe that sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Sufferings and worries do not last forever. What lasts forever to us, who have received the remission of sin is the Lord, the salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven. Worries are temporary and do not last. Just as a day can be clear or cloudy or rainy or sunny, we are not always worldly or always spiritual. Even though we are insufficient, we the righteous are not always disobedient. Even though we are insufficient, we are following the Lord’s will. Jesus has already taken care of all our shortcomings. Therefore, I hope you live by the faith in the Lord’s teaching. We thank the Lord for giving us such a teaching so that we do not fall in our worries. How great is this teaching to us, who are living in the last days, we are truly thankful.
We have sufferings everyday, but one day’s suffering is enough for that day. And we must live for the blessed work of God everyday by believing that He gives us new strength everyday to overcome all the troubles and problems that hinder us from working for the gospel.
Halleluiah!
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