[Jesus said,] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life." Matthew 6:25

Want to ruin a perfectly good day? Start worrying. Dwelling on the past or worrying about the future is a sure way to put yourself into an unhealthy and unproductive funk.

A counselor once analyzed the problems of people seeking his advice. He found that 40 percent worried about things that never happened. Another 30 percent worried about decisions already made and not changeable. Another 12 percent worried about sickness that never came, and 10 percent worried about children and friends who actually were fine. That left but 8 percent with worries about real problems. His conclusion was that 92 percent of our worries are needless.

There is no need to worry about three kinds of trouble -- those we have had, those we may have now, and those we think we might have in the future. Wisdom includes the realization that the things you are anxious about today may very well seem unimportant tomorrow.

Satan seeks to fill our hearts with worry and gloom. Faith in Jesus, our Savior, is the source of a cheerful Christian outlook on life. He supplies all we truly need: the forgiveness of our sins, eternal life, and the comfort that God is with us each day.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, replace my needless worry with confident trust in You. Amen.

(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)

Today's Bible Readings: Daniel 3-4    Titus 2

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