in philippians 4 paul comes back to his theme about being happy in life. verse 4 (tev), may you always be joyful in your life in the LORD. i say it again: rejoice! is it possible to be continually joyful?
most people really don't enjoy life; they just endure it. their lives are filled with anxiety, stress, pressure and there's very little joy. and paul tells us from his cell in prison how to manage our pressures and stress.
in verse 6 (ms) he says right out, don't fret or worry. he gets right to the point. he knows worry is a major source of stress.
we all it seems tend to expect the worst in life. smithsonian magazine calls this the age of anxiety. there are macro worries that everybody on the planet worries about. there are micro worries that are personal, that you have everyday.
worry is assuming responsibility that GOD never intended for me to have. it's playing GOD, trying to control the uncontrollable.
dr. walter cavert has done studies on your worries. he has discovered that:
- 40% of our worries never happen
- 30% of our worries concern the past
- 12% of our worries are needless worries about your health
- 10% of our worries are insignificant or petty concerns
- 8% of our worries are really legitimate concerns
you see worry is worthless. it cannot change the past or control the future. it only messes you up right now. it is an incredible waste of energy. it is stewing without doing. it is a waste of creativity. when we worry about things, they get bigger and bigger. we are very creative about worry.
the bible says, do not worry about anything. probably this is the hardest command to obey.
just a thought from the front porch...
1 comment:
Bill,
I agree with all you have said. We really worry most of the time for nothing. This is the time that we who believe in God need to do just that, believe and have faith that God will carry us through and during this down time realize that he is the almighty God and what he says he will do. We need to come to him with open hands and give him our every burden. I am in a time of deffinent transition. I lost my job this past April that I had security and some identity with. My position of 13 and one half years was eliminated and it hurt. I have given to him my every concern knowing that this problem is too big for me. I want only God's will for my life. I'm retirement age but really don't want to quit and want to keep living and helping others and be the servant that God wants me to be. Funny, even though I have applied for Social Security, I'm finding myself applying for full time work as well as part time work since the SS benefits don't come until the end of November. I'm letting God lead knowing not what my future holds. I just want to still be used for his honor and glory. My faith is more than the tiny mustard seed referred to in the Bible because God has already proven to me many times that he is able. During this time I'm resting in the arms of my heavenly father, at peace. God wants us to come to him and lay our burdens down. He never fails us and knows what is best. For you out there who are reading this message, I pray for you that you will have peace in the midst of your storm. Trust God completely dear child. He never fails!
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