Monday, August 5, 2013
You Don't Need to be Worried
---First published on stephen-blog.com when I used that site---
It seems that many Christians worry a lot. We can worry about politics, work, school, our family, money, health, tomorrow, and the list goes on and on.
But what does worrying accomplish?
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. (Proverbs 12:25)
We should not fear. God has everything in His control. He is wise, gracious, loving, and He knows what's best.
Matthew 6:25-34:
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
God has everything in control. He made the universe and He knows how to control it. The world may at times seem overwhelming, but God knows what's going on. We can (and should) rely on God. We need to stop trusting in good circumstances; we need to trust God.
So, does this mean we can sit back, relax, do nothing, and hope for our problems to go away? No! This would be be laziness. God has given us commands and we need to obey Him. Realizing God is in control should inspire us to more action, not less! We are going to have a wonderful eternity. Do we act like it?
"Duty is ours; consequences are God's." Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, 1863
We need to live life remembering that God is good and always in total control of the world, and we need to go forward confidently.