FRIDAY

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:31-33

As we come to the end of the week, let’s return to the Key Verse we began with. “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31 33). Having now had the opportunity to think more deeply about what it means to embrace the way of life that Jesus invites us into, consider the following:

• What new insights have you gained this week in terms of how you can live more joyfully in hope, rather than in reaction to anxiety?

• Where are the growing edges for you as you think about what it means to live with a song in your heart that flows from a sense of peace and God’s provision, rather than with a sense of anxiety and worry for the future?

• What would change about our relationships with others, and even the kind of work we do, if we were to live more fully in the embrace of what Jesus is sharing here?

• What questions do you have, or struggle with, when it comes to how we actually live like this in the midst of a world that is struggling with anxiousness and fear?

• As you think back over your reflections this week, what do you sense God inviting you to consider, more fully embrace, or perhaps is nudging you toward? As you prepare to enter more fully into your Sabbath experience this weekend, take a few moments to share with God in prayer what is on your heart.