Ian Barclay's Thought For The Day

A CHRISTIAN LOOKS AT MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
The tea-bag verse
Reading: Matthew 6:25-34 Click to view passage

We are staying with the subject of anxiety and worry for another day. It is difficult to stop the fly-wheel of worry but it can be halted by concentrating on a bible verse. However, the problem that started the worrying in the first place still hovers in the back of your mind. It could be an interview, a meeting, a task, an exam. Whatever it is, how do we face it? There is a verse that in my family known as the tea-bag verse. Paul says, “I can everything through him who gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:13 literal translation). Notice Paul is so certain of this truth, that he doesn’t even use a verb! Secondly, “who gives me strength,” – the process that Paul describes here, is similar to what happens when you put a tea-bag in a cup and pour boiling water on it, the water is infused with tea! Paul is saying he is infused with Christ’s strength. When you step through the door for that interview, sit down to take the exam, begin the task before you. Say to yourself, “I can all things through him who infuses me with his strength.”

Meditation: think about Philippians 4:13
Prayer pointer: Remind me of this verse as I tackle various things today.



Matthew: 31