Worry: April 12, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2013

WORRY

DEFINITION:

To feel uneasy or anxious; to fret; to torment oneself or suffer from disturbing thoughts.

SCRIPTURE:

Therefore I say unto 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 important than food and the body more than clothing? Matthew 6:25.

Therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or what shall we wear? for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Matthew 6:31.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

No one knows us better than the one who created us. When Jesus was on this earth He spoke to issues that He knew we all will deal with in life. He taught concerning many of these concerns we have in what we know today as the “Sermon on the Mount.” He began with the beatitudes. You can read these in Matthew chapter five. In Chapter six, Jesus instructs us on why we should not worry.

Just as today, many people listening to Jesus had reasons that they believed were valid reasons to worry. But Jesus started out His comments on worry by saying not to worry about one’s life.  He said not to worry about the necessities of life like food, drink, and clothing.

Jesus is not suggesting that one does not prepare for life. He tells us that one is not to be lazy and thoughtless with a no care attitude. God will not pamper slothfulness and a lack of initiative, effort or planning. He expects us to look after our responsibilities, work to eat and in fact to work extra to have enough to give to others.

In this verse, Jesus is talking to us about being so wrapped up in securing the “things” in life that we become anxious, disturbed and sleepless. We need to be consumed by thinking about and working for the Lord and not “things.” Worry is not necessary when we are trusting God.

He loved us enough to create us and then send His Son, Jesus, to die for us. So surely we can trust Him to provide for us. The second thing Jesus said to not worry about is tomorrow. (Matthew 6:34)

People worry about major problems that more than often will never happen. WORRY IS THE INTEREST YOU PAY ON BORROWED TROUBLE. In Matthew 6:27, Jesus says to us, “Who of you by worrying can add a simple hour to his life?”

These words are very relative for today. Doctors tell us that worry is an underlying cause of many illnesses, in fact more than 60% of illnesses relate to worry. It is also a known fact that worry leads to emotional turmoil in family relationships.

Why do people today worry so much? Possibly one reason is that they do not feel good about what they are doing in their life. Whether someone is a Christian or not a Christian they know the difference between right and wrong. People are also concerned about being questioned about a past issue or action that was not truthful. They are living with a weight of guilt and in fear that at any moment their world could come crashing in on them. In other words, our own actions give us cause to worry.

Real life happenings are often the cause of worry. A loss of a job, a home foreclosure, expenses running higher than the income being received or even a troubled family relationship, all cause people to worry. But the scripture tells us that when these things come to pass, a Christian needs to respond just as Jesus said in His “Sermon on the Mount.”  He reminds us that He knows all of our needs and He is willing to meet those needs if we have our priorities straight. He said: “Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added onto you. He wants us not to worry about our physical needs but to worry about our spiritual needs.

The Apostle said in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious (worry) about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

When bad things happen to us, we must do all we can to relieve the issue of worry. We are limited in what we can do, but God is unlimited. He is all powerful, all knowing and always there for us. This is where our trust and faith comes in. We must be willing to let go of our worry and put our trust in Jesus and “SEEK HIM FIRST!” 

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 81:1

Sing aloud unto God our strength: Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

PRAYER:

Thank You that I can give my worries to You with the assurance that if I seek You first that You will provide what I need. I can always be assured that You know better than I as to what I need. Help my family to understand this as well. May each of us do all we can to learn more about You. Help us to read Your Word and to communicate with You through prayer daily. Help me to remember to turn my worries into prayers.


REMINDER: CLICK BELOW TO RECEIVE OUR NEW DEVOTIONAL BOOK.