our daily bread

[Dexu Xia]

We Won’t Break
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27
As a native Californian and lover of all things sunny, I shy away from all things cold. I do, however, enjoy beautiful photos of snow. So I couldn’t help but smile when my friend from Illinois shared a winter picture of a sapling outside her window. Admiration turned to sadness when I noticed its bare, knotted branches bowing under the heavy fringe of sparkling icicles.
How long could those bending boughs endure before breaking under their icy burdens? The heaviness threatening to crack the tree’s limbs reminded me of my shoulders, hunched beneath the weight of worries.
We never have to worry, Lord, because You never fail to meet our deepest needs.
After Jesus affirms that the greatest treasures are not earthly or temporary, He encourages us to release our anxious thoughts. The Creator and Sustainer of the universe loves and provides for His children, so we don’t have to waste our precious time worrying. God knows our needs and will care for us (Matthew 6:19–32).
He also knows we’ll be tempted to succumb to worry. He tells us to come to Him first, trust His presence and provision in the present, and live by faith one day at a time (vv. 33–34).
In this life, we’ll face overwhelming troubles and uncertainties that can make our shoulders droop. We may temporarily bend under the weight of worrying. But when we trust God, we won’t break.
Thanks for assuring us that we never have to worry, Lord, because You never fail to meet our deepest needs.
Worry won’t break us when we trust the Giver of all good things.
不被压垮
你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢？-马太福音6章27节
身为一个土生土长的加利福尼亚人，我喜爱阳光明媚的天气，对于寒冷总是退避三舍，但我却蛮喜欢欣赏雪景的照片。一位住在伊利诺州的朋友，寄来了一张她窗外一棵小树在寒冬中的照片，我看了很开心。然而，当我发现小树光秃秃的枝桠被沉重发亮的冰柱压得下垂时，心里不禁有点难过。
这些被沉重的冰柱压得弯曲的树枝，还能支撑多久而不被压垮呢？这些树枝所承受的重担，令我想起自己也有许多忧愁挂虑，压得我双肩下垂。
耶稣告诉我们最大的财宝不是属世的或是暂时的，过后祂鼓励我们要卸下一切忧愁烦恼。创造宇宙和托住万有的上帝关爱并供应祂的儿女，所以我们不需要浪费我们宝贵的时间来忧虑。上帝知道我们的需要，祂会看顾保守我们（马太福音6章19-32节）。
耶稣也知道我们有时会陷入愁苦烦闷，所以祂告诉我们，要先寻求祂，相信祂每时刻都与我们同在，并会随时供应我们，祂要我们凭着信心过每一天（33-34节）。
我们在世上，会面临许多难以承受的艰难，以及未知的景况，压得我们双肩垂下。虽然沉重的挂虑会暂时压得我们弯下腰，但我们信靠上帝，便不会被压垮！
主啊，谢谢祢应许我们永不需忧虑，
因祢永远能够满足我们最深的需要。
信靠赐恩福的上帝，便不会被忧虑压垮。