Many people are plagued by mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. As a matter-of-fact, the most common mental health disorder today is anxiety and it affects 100’s of millions of people around the world. Nearly twice as many women, compared to men, suffer from anxiety.
Before we move on, let me say this, If you currently suffer from depression or anxiety, there is no shame in getting help. You don’t have to fight this on your own and most importantly God loves you so much and He wants to help you be victorious. My encouragement is that you would please find a professional who is trained in this area and can offer you guidance to overcome this. At the same time, immerse yourself into the Word of God and prayer. Spend time working through the spiritual disciplines like fasting, solitude, rest, scripture meditation, journaling and prayer. These are gifts God uses to strengthen His people and renew our minds.
Famed American author and humorist, Mark Twain, once confessed,
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”[1]
How many of us can attest to the truth of Twain’s words? How many nights have we laid awake in bed because worry had stolen the sweetness of sleep away and the thing that kept us awake never even happened? I believe that worry is a ploy from the enemy to keep us distracted so that we do not trust in the Sovereignty of God.
But, as we’ll see in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has some encouraging words which reminds us that we really have nothing to worry about.
Don’t Worry About It (Lk. 12:22-24)
Jesus was never one to let a teaching opportunity pass Him by. In this section, He shifts His attention away from the two brothers squabbling over the inheritance to His disciples in order to teach them a vital lesson about money, trust, and the sufficiency of God’s grace.
In these verses, we move from covetousness to care. Greed obsesses over what we do have while scarcity obsesses over what we don’t have or what we might lose. Gratitude breaks the power of greed, and trust breaks the power of worry, because both are rooted in the faithfulness of God.
Let’s take a look at what Jesus tells the disciples in verses 22-24.
Luke 12:22–24 NKJV
22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.
23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
These words from Jesus are convicting and comforting at the same time. Convicting because they challenge our faith.
By using the word therefore, Jesus connects these verses to His earlier teaching about being "rich toward God" (v. 21). In verse 15, He emphasized that an abundance of possessions does not constitute true life:
Luke 12:15 NKJV
15 ...for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Now Jesus balances that truth by showing that neither does life disappear when possessions are lacking. Just as wealth is not the source of life, poverty is not the absence of it. And this is the challenge that our faith is up against, in times of plenty or scarcity where will our confidence rest?
In order to answer that question, Jesus turns to nature and in doing so His words comfort us by directing our faith to the Faithful One.
Taking a page from the book of nature, Jesus illustrates the path of trust by using birds as an example. Surprisingly, He uses an unclean bird to emphasize the care and compassion of God.
Leviticus 11:13–15 NKJV
13 ‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard,
14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind;
15 every raven after its kind, (see also Dt. 14:12-14)
Jesus’s example of the raven, which could be viewed as a nod toward the Gentiles, the unclean co-inhabiters of the land, may even be a subtle reminder of the wide range of God's common grace.
Matthew 5:45 NKJV
45 ...for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
This is powerful: if God faithfully feeds even the ravens, creatures of comparatively little value, how much more will He care for those who bear His image and belong to Him?
The psalmist testifies,
Psalm 37:25 NKJV
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
If God provides for those who do not acknowledge Him, why would we doubt His commitment to provide for His own children?
Matthew 7:11 NKJV
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Furthermore, what good will worrying about it do?
Worry Won’t Change it (Lk. 12:25-28)
Luke 12:25–28 NKJV
25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
Jesus, again, looks at nature to make His point—”consider the lilies and the grass.” Passages like these add weight to Paul’s words.
Romans 1:20 NKJV
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
The invisible attribute that Jesus draws the disciple’s attention to in these verses is the compassionate care of the sovereign Benefactor. We see this clearly in the Exodus narrative as well.
For forty years the people of God wandered in the Wilderness and the Adonai provided water from a rock, manna in the morning and quail in the evening and these were spiritual EKGs so the people would understand where they were in terms of trusting Adonai and in Dt. 8:4 and Dt. 29:5 they were reminded of His care for them.
Deuteronomy 8:4 NKJV
4 Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Deuteronomy 29:5 NKJV
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet.
Adonai says, I took such good care of you that you didn’t even need to update your wardrobe. With this as a backdrop, Jesus says don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or how you’ll clothe yourself. Not because those things aren’t important, but because your heavenly Father knows you need these and He wants you to trust him for it.
I can’t remember exactly what was going on at the time, but I can remember the encouragement my sister gave. She said, “If you gonna worry, why pray? If you gonna pray, don’t worry.” It’s so true. What, besides your heart rate and blood pressure, has worrying ever changed? And this is precisely the point that Jesus is making. You cannot add a single second to your day by worrying, worry won’t add a single inch to your hair, you cannot increase the simplest detail of your life by worrying so don’t worry. Jesus’ encouragement to cease from worry is not permission to be apathetic toward life. It is not license to be lazy. We can be concerned without worrying and the solution to worry isn’t to worry less, but to trust more.
Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The psalmist encourages us with these words:
Psalm 55:22 NKJV
22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
The apostle Peter follows suit by directing us to
1 Peter 5:7 NKJV
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
When we do that, when we resist the urge to be anxious and instead we place our concerns on the shoulders of the Sovereign Lord He carries what was never ours to bear in the first place.
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Here are two things that I’ve learned about worrying. 1) No one ever says, “I’m so glad that I spent all that time worrying otherwise I don’t know what would’ve happened.” 2) We eventually come to the place where we understand that worrying does not have the power to change our circumstances. What we often discover is that worrying accomplished nothing in the process. Either things worked out the way we hoped or they did not. And in either case, we either suffocate under the stranglehold of worry and anxiety, or as we rely fully on the Lord, we learn to appreciate the growth that came with the difficulty on the one hand, and the grace God provided to face the struggle on the other hand.
Romans 8:28 NKJV
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
So, what can we do with our worry? Well, I think Jesus’ instructions challenge us to turn our worry into worship.
Order It (Lk. 12:29-31)
Luke 12:29–31 NKJV
29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.
30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.
31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
This portion of scripture is about prioritization. Jesus’ instructions not to worry about basic needs is not permission to be lazy or mooch off of other people. Instead, this is a call to place things in a proper order which is why He tells the disciples to set the kingdom of God as their primary focus. This is worship. This attitude takes us from the realm of worldliness into the throne room of God.
Colossians 3:1–3 NKJV
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Seeking God's kingdom is not about ignoring the concerns of daily life but surrendering those concerns to His sovereign will. It means trusting Him with every burden, every need, and every uncertainty. It means loving our enemies instead of seeking their destruction. It means standing for righteousness in the face of danger and pushing back the darkness of injustice with the light of Jesus Christ. It means proclaiming Christ no matter the cost. It is choosing generosity over greed, blessing over cursing, and giving life rather than destroying it. It means resisting the temptation to hate by choosing to love even when it is difficult. It means pointing people to the Savior and laboring to advance God's agenda above our own. In short, seeking God's kingdom means submitting every part of our lives to the rule and reign of King Jesus.
And this, Jesus says, must be our first endeavor.
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Seeking God’s kingdom is Abraham offering Issac.
It’s Rahab hiding spies.
It’s Joshua marching around Jericho.
It’s Daniel praying, even when it could cost him the lions' den.
It’s Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego standing before the furnace and declaring that God is able, even if He chooses not to deliver them.
It’s Stephen preaching Christ while being stoned.
It’s the widow giving her last two coins because she trusted God more than her possessions.
It’s a young virgin girl by the name of Mary saying, "Let it be to me according to your word," and surrendering her future to God's plan.
It’s Jesus, in Gethsemane praying, "Not My will, but Yours be done."
It’s Jesus, as a lamb to the slaughter, laying down His life so we could have life.
I know what you’re thinking, “But Pastor, those are spiritual giants from the Bible. I’m not like them.” Well, let me give you some examples that are closer to home.
Seeking God’s kingdom is a wife whose faith doesn’t falter as she prays through her husband's health challenges.
Seeking God’s kingdom is a husband whose grief presses him into the sufficiency of God’s grace as he mourns the passing of his wife.
Seeking God’s kingdom is a 6yo who accepts the free gift of grace as he struggles through his own dark valley.
Seeking God’s kingdom is a teenager who refuses to be defined by cultural standards, even at the risk of being alienated, in order to reflect the righteousness of God.
Seeking God’s kingdom is a church who welcomes the strangers among them sharing the love of Christ.
Seeking the kingdom of God is a congregation whose wealth and resources are surrendered to bless those in need.
Seeking God’s kingdom is 20 Spirit-filled men and women sharing the hope they have in Christ with Dominicans.
Seeking the kingdom of God is a Body of Believers who pray without ceasing asking for heaven to come down to earth.
Folks, no amount of worry will ever be able to accomplish what faith in the sovereignty of the Almighty God can achieve. Keep the concerns of your life in their proper arrangement. Seek God above it all and you’ll have all you’ll ever need.
Share It (Lk. 12:32-34)
Another way Jesus tells His disciples to fight against the crippling effects of worry is through generosity.
Luke 12:32–34 NKJV
32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
In these verses, the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God is evident. When you seek God’s kingdom (31) the Father takes great delight in giving you His kingdom (32).
Last week, we saw a rich farmer building his own enterprise, hoarding up the things he had labored for in order to consume them selfishly. As I stated then, his wealth was not the problem, being rich wasn’t the issue, not being rich toward God was the issue.
There are only two places in the New Testament where Jesus instructs someone to sell all of their possessions and give to the poor. One place is here with His disciples and the other place is with the rich young ruler. This young man wanted to know how he could get his hands on eternal life. Jesus instructed him to keep the neighborly commandments. The rich ruler responded by informing Jesus that he did all of that.
Luke 18:22 NKJV
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Do you value justice? People? Self? God? Wealth? Family? Career? Then that is what your heart will gravitate toward.
And what Jesus is saying here is that we must hold loosely everything in this world in order to take hold of everything in God’s kingdom and when it comes to earthly possessions, the best way to do that is by being generous.
Personal story
Before joining the staff of BCC, I worked part-time for the Earlywine YMCA while I finished up my degree at MACU. That was one of the leanest financial seasons of my life. Before that I worked full-time as a civil engineering drafter and Alicia also worked full-time. We both made really good money, but when I went to work at the Y, my pay was reduced to less than peanuts. In response to that reduction in pay, we decided to dramatically cut back on our spending. However, we remained generous.
Worry has a way of warping our sense of security causing us to hyper-focus on the wrong things. By God’s grace we were able to overcome that.
One of the things that I constantly go back to in my mind about that season of life, is how faithfully God provided. Not only did our family have everything we needed, but we were also able to bless other people in need. We gave away two vehicles during that time. One we purchased just to bless somebody else with. We purchased and gave away a bike to a neighbor who had his stolen and we supported missionaries overseas.
The reason why I share that is because it has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind as a reminder of what the Lord can do with what we entrust to Him.
Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, once stated,
I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.[2]
Respond
My friends, trust the Lord today. Do not allow worry, anxiety and fear to rob you of the abundant life God has provided for you in His Son Jesus Christ. If you don’t know Him, then as Martin Luther confessed, place your life into His hands.
Luke 9:24 NKJV
24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Tre Clark
Britton Christian Church
11/8/2026
(McFedries, Paul. “Quotes Uncovered: Twain or Not Twain.” Freakonomics, 7 Apr. 2011, https://freakonomics.com/2011/04/quotes-uncovered-twain-or-not-twain/.)
(Luther, Martin. Christian Reader, v. 35, n. 2. https://gracequotes.org/quote/i-have-held-many-things-in-my-hands-and-i-have-lost-them-all-but-whatever-i-have-placed-in-gods-hands-that-i-still-possess/)
