Matthew 6:29-34 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights is not a song you will hear in a Sunday morning church service, and it is unlikely that you will hear it on your gospel radio station. No, it is an old twangy country song by the late Freddy Fender. In case you aren’t familiar with it, let me share a bit of the lyrics. Wasted days and wasted nights, I have left for you behind. For you don’t belong to me, your heart belongs to someone else. Why should I keep loving you
When I know that you’re not true? And why should I call your name when you’re to blame for making me blue? Old Freddy isn’t talking about a relationship with God here, but rather he’s singing of an old flame that apparently burned out before he was ready. So why I am even writing about this old song today? Because I can relate to the idea of wasted days and wasted nights.
It saddens me to think of how many days and nights I have wasted in my lifetime. I’ve wasted much time worrying about things that were out of my control. I’ve wasted hours upon hours during the daylight and into the night trying to solve the problems of the world. Not only have I wasted days and nights with worry, I’ve wasted days and nights pouring all of my energy into things that turned out to be unworthy of my time. If that old devil had his way, we would be wasting time thinking about our regrets and our mistakes all day long every day. He wants to steal every minute he can possibly steal away from God, but once we become aware of how truly precious our time is, we soon realize that we can’t afford to waste it.
We don’t have time to waste worrying about the mistakes of yesterday or worrying about the fears of the future. We don’t have time to lay around beating ourselves up for past regrets and feeling sorry for ourselves. We must put those things behind us, and do as old Freddy did and stop calling out the names of those mistakes and regrets because we know that those things will make us blue. And not only that, living in the past keeps us from receiving the fullness of the future that God has in store for us.
Scripture reminds us that worrying won’t add even a minute to our lives. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? (Matthew 6:27) This scripture also reminds us that we have a loving Father who cares about the details. He takes care of the birds, and He creates beautiful flowers that last but a season, yet He creates them with such intricate detail. If he is going to feed the birds and decorate our fields with beautiful flowers, I think we can rest assured that He will meet our needs.
Let’s flex our faith muscles today. Don’t let the enemy steal your time and energy. Instead, let’s use our energy to build our faith in Christ. Let us not waste our days and nights with things that make us blue and do not bring glory to our Father. Let us replace the fear that grips us with faith that binds us to our Father. It is time to take our time back. Don’t waste any more days or nights, rather choose to spend your time doing what matters for the kingdom. Choose to spend your time doing what matters to you and to Christ. Don’t let the enemy steal another second of your time. Invest your time. Don’t waste it. When the enemy tries to put you on the endless path of worry or regret, call to mind the promises of God and meditate on Him and His faithfulness. We don’t have to waste another day or night if we trust in Christ!
Inspirations from the Funny Farm 