Truth is...We seem to rush through life. Hurrying to finish tasks, eat meals, go places, do things . . . And a lot of that hurrying is due to worrying. And a lot of that worrying is due to messed-up priorities and placing trust in our efforts instead of in our Lord.
Father, help us to slow down, make you our everything, and consider the sparrows.
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Do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, "What are we going to eat?" or "What are we going to drink?" or "What are we going to wear?" For the pagans eagerly seek all these things; but do not worry, for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
Matthew 6:31-33 (AMP)
I look at this list of things Jesus tells us to not worry about and think, "Add 'where are we going to live?' and you've pretty much got the Top Four Concerns of Mankind, right there." Why else do we work 40-60 hours a week?
And yet, a person HAS to pay attention to such things. I mean, we can't go around naked, starving, and dehydrated.
Perhaps the key resides in the word worry. It's one thing to need to physically provide for yourself and your loved ones. It's another thing to have your happiness and sense of well-being completely dependent on food, drink, and shelter.
Part of Thomas à Kempis' thoughts on these verses:
O most sweet and loving Lord, you know my weaknesses and my sufferings. I am often weighed down, tempted, disturbed, and defiled. I come to you for a remedy. I beg you for comfort and support. You know what good things I need and how poor I am in righteousness.
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Truth is...Where do you put your trust: in things or the creator of all things?
In the 2015 film Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks plays an American lawyer recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court. He takes his job seriously and is concerned about his client's apparent lackof concern.
LAWYER
I have a mandate to help you. Nobody else does. Quite frankly, they have a vested interest in sending you to the electric chair....You don't seem alarmed.
SPY
Would it help?
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Truth is...Even without me bringing up any spiritual concepts of trusting in God, this short conversation lays out a bit of street wisdom that deserves attention. It also agrees completely with Jesus when he says in Matthew 6:27, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Because she was caught helping Jews escape from the Germans during World War II, Corrie Ten Boom was sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. She survived and went on to become an inspiring writer and speaker.
There's a particular quote from her about worry I want to bring to your attention today, but first, the Amplified version:
Tormenting oneself with disturbing thoughts and anxiety can be thought of as transporting the next day's burden with this day's energy, health, fortitude, and vigor - loading oneself with the concerns of two days at the same time. It is picking up the trouble meant for tomorrow before you need to...after all, Jesus said each day has trouble enough of its own. Anxiety doesn't eliminate tomorrow's grief, sadness, or regret, it takes the supply of vitality and tenacity of today and pours it out on the ground.
Corrie said it far more succinctly and with an abundance of life experience to back up its truth.
"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength."
Truth is...To put it another way, it's like taking tomorrow's test before learning today's lesson.
The Saturday morning of the most recent outbreak of violence against Israel, a co-worker asked, "Are you ready for World War III?"
My response was a little more dismissive than it should have been, but I stand by its basic premise:
"You will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come." -Matthew 24:6-8
Since my spiritual awakening in the 1970s, every time something drastic happened in the Middle East, a new load of books would be released talking about how the end was near and how such-and-such ruler or such-and-such military campaign was the fulfillment of certain verses in Daniel or Revelation. And then things would die down and people stopped buying the books until their new editions were released a few years down the road at the next outbreak of violence.
It didn't take long for me to stop getting anxious about "wars and threats of war" in the Middle East.
Adding to my lack of anxiety was a book I read as part of my college class on eschatology. It was titled The Meaning of the Millenium and was authored by four people who held four different convictions about how the world is going to end. They each wrote a short paper supporting their view with Scripture references and charts, and then the other three would write rebuttals "proving" the view false.
There they were, four guys who were way smarter than me, each dedicated to the Bible as the inspired word of God, and each coming to a conclusion directly opposed to the other three. It taught me the depth of the truth of Jesus' words in Matthew 24:36 - "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself."
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Truth is...None of this is meant to say that this latest conflict couldn't possibly be the beginning of the end. It certainly could be. But you know what? I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to boldly join the Apostle John, praying with his words from Revelation 22:20, "Even so, come Lord Jesus!"
Humor and holiness are not enemies. Case in point: "He'll Take Care of the Rest," which is the fifth song on Keith Green's album, For Him Who Has Ears to Hear. In the midst of encouraging his listeners to trust in God's providence, Keith light-heartedly recalls some Bible stories that are examples of God's trustworthiness. It's not the silly, laugh-out-loud humor experienced in many of Randy Stonehill's songs, but it's enough to at least make a person grin.
You know it ain't no use in banging your head
Up against that cold stone wall
'Cause nobody's perfect, except for the Lord
And even the best bound to fall
Remember He is divine and you are de branch He'd love to get you through it if you'd give Him a chance
Just keep doing your best and pray that it's blessed
And Jesus takes care of the rest
Yes the Lord said that He'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it Well He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah
Well He'll take care of the rest, the devil blew it
Well He'll take care of the
He'll take care of the rest
Just think about Moses, in front of the burning bush Barefoot on the holy ground
You know, he must have been thinking
Hey what's an old dude like me gonna tell 'em all
When I go down? (Go down Moses!)
The Lord said, "Hey Moe Don't you worry about you going down south
I'll be saying every word that comes out of your mouth
You just keep doing your best and pray that it's blessed
Hey Moe, I'll take care of the rest"
Yes the Lord said that He'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it Well He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah
Well He'll take care of the rest, old Pharaoh blew it
He'll take care of the
He'll take care of the rest
Just believe and you'll receive That comfort you need
You just think about all those lonely people you know
They got everything they want but they got empty souls
Well, He'll take care of the, He'll take care of the
He'll take care of the, care of the rest
You just think about Noah toting his umbrella When there wasn't a cloud in the sky
All his neighbors would laugh at his pet giraffe
And they would snicker as he'd passed by
But the Lord said, "Hey Noah Be cool, just keep building that boat
It's just a matter of time till they see who's gonna float
You just keep doing your best, and pray that it's blessed
Hey Noah, I'll take care of the rest, I'm the weatherman"
The Lord said that He'll take care of the rest, He's gonna do it He'll take care of the rest, He'll see you through it, yeah
Well He'll take care of the rest, his neighbors blew it
Truth is...I once was asked about my "ability" to go from laughing to praying in a blink of an eye. The answer is, what with Yahweh loving me so well, how could I separate the two to begin with?
Quotes from Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven Life, with my personal notes: On becoming like Christ... "From the very beginning, God's plan has been to make you like his son, Jesus. What does the full image and likeness of God look like? It looks like Jesus Christ! On earth, God's ultimate goal for your life is not comfort, but Christlike character." - Loving, accepting, forgiving, straight-forward, unflinching, dedicated to the cause, selfless - betrayed, despised, humiliated, railroaded, killed - restored, respected, revered, acclaimed, adored, exalted
"Spiritual growth is not automatic. It takes an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. Discipleship - the process of becoming like Christ - always begins with a decision." - Spiritual growth doesn't "just happen"? Hmm...I see your point, but there is growth that happens (after the initial decision to follow Christ) just from living life. It's not as a result of study or discussion with a wiser disciple, but God brings it about through the circumstances of life. In fact, it is the Holy Spirit working on me and in me that constitutes spiritual growth. "Thinking of others is the heart of Christ-likeness, and the goal of spiritual growth. This kind of thinking is unnatural, counter-cultural, and rare. The only way we will learn to think this way is by filling our minds with the Word of God." - Transformed - by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2) "Everything that happens in the life of a child of God is Father-filtered, and he intends to use it for good." - Which is not the same thing as saying that everything that happens is God's will. Being able to use something is not the same as creating that something. I can make a wrong turn and still end up at my destination. But it was still a wrong turn. "God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances where you're tempted to express the exact opposite quality! Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity. Every time you defeat a temptation, you become more like Jesus!" - Love instead of hate. Joy instead of bitterness. Peace instead of worry/anxiety. Patience instead of selfish me-firstism. Kindness instead of sarcasm. Goodness instead of a mean spirit. Gentleness instead of gruff coarseness. Self-control instead of obeying impulses.
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Truth is...When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
Truth is...It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No - "the cares of the world" (Matthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. (Oswald Chambers)
Just finished a study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians in one of my church's rejuvenated Sunday morning Christian Education classes (i.e., Sunday School). It was great to sit in a room with several other adults and discuss how to follow Jesus in the light shed by Paul's words. One of the most familiar passages in the letter talks about putting on the "full armor of God" (6:11, 13): "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV) The interesting take our teacher took was to forget about concentrating on which part of the body is being protected by which piece of armor. Instead, look at what those armor pieces are protecting us from...what attacks of Satan are being neutralized by this equipment?
A Christ-follower needs a belt of TRUTH because the forces of evil are attacking with an onslaught of lies and deception. According to Jesus, "there is no truth in [the devil]. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies." (John 8:44) A breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS will not only protect me from the hurtful consequences of sin in my life, but get this...it's not MY righteousness that's being talked about. It's God's armor. It's His righteousness. I'm just wearing it. He declares me righteous because of Jesus' sinlessness, not mine. Because Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10); because he wants to cause loss and chaos and worry; because that's the kind of thing I'm fighting against, I need to be ready. And my readiness comes from the good news that I am at PEACE with God. The gospel assures me that Yahweh is on my side in this battle. The shield of FAITH deflects and defuses the burning little barbs the devil throws our way: "You're not good enough. God is so tired of hearing you whine. You've blown it too many times." I can stand firm with Paul and say "The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) We are given the strong assurance of a helmet of SALVATION that protects us from Satan's abundant supply of condemnation. We have the sword of the SPIRIT(the WORD OF GOD) that absolutely counters flimsy weapons of flesh and blood, hearsay and rumor, death and decay. Truth is...Paul could very well be listing a seventh piece of armor when he writes, in verse 18, "And PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."
Don't know if this church sign is a blooper, funny on purpose, or even if it's for real...but I do know it's true.
No, I'm not saying that attending church services will kill you. Though I've been in some that almost put me in a coma. It's dying to self that I'm alluding to here. It's getting rid of the bad past and stepping into the good future. It all relates to what the Apostle Paul asked in Romans 6:2, "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Or even more to the point, hear the words of Jesus:
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Matthew 16:24-26 NIV)
Truth is...as long as my life is all about "I, me, me, mine," I will be prone to worry. It would be much better to, as Petra put it in the following song, "kill my old man" (figuratively die to my old way of living). And yes, involvement in a church can help with that.
I do not regret for a single moment the years I spent as a youth minister. They were the most fulfilling years of my life, filled with a sense of being used for a greater purpose than earning a paycheck. It was also a time of being exposed to some great people. For instance, when I heard Tim Hansel speak at a National Youth Leaders Conference, I was introduced to a great guy, who has written a few wonderful books, one of which is Holy Sweat. Tim's explanation of the title: "HOLY reminds us of our highest calling. SWEAT is what it takes to get there."
Here's a little taste of the gems included in this tome...
I believe it is more important to live one word of Scripture than it is to memorize volumes. (From the chapter, "Turning Our Theology into Biology")
We are, in a sense, walking Gospels as we re-present Christ to the world through our "fifth Gospel."
The Bible does not give us much reason to believe that being saved is in any way to be equated with being safe. For instance, we often hear that Daniel's faith got him out of the lion's den, but we forget that it also got him into the lion's den.... God doesn't promise a carefree life; he promises peace and joy in the midst of the trouble (John 16:33).
The greatest act of courage is the first step.
It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than it is to think your way into a new way of acting.
Stop worrying and start believing. You can't worry and praise God at the same time.
I'd rather make my days count than simply count my days.
We don't get a free detour around problems when we become a Christian; we get a guided tour through them.
Which would you rather have - a Christian reputation or Jesus Christ?
I believe the world gets to know what Jesus looks like by looking at us, God's people. So I say, let's give them a good look. Let's live a life so powerful, so unsettling, so wonderful, so joyous, so giving, that our lives wouldn't make a bit of sense if God didn't exist.
Truth is...sometimes cleaning off your shelf can be a glorious thing. Next week: Hansel lays down some great quotes from others.
Another experiment in getting around the poetic language and digging into what an old hymn is really saying.
May God make and keep you happy, my friends. Don't let anything worry you or cause you to fret. Remember that something miraculous happened on that first Christmas: Jesus, our Savior, came to earth as a baby...and not just to give us a sweet story to tell, but so he could save us all from wandering away from him and straying right into Satan's scheme to destroy us. Now THAT is news that should fill us with a peaceful calm and a deep joy! The announcement of this good news from God came through an angel to a particular group of shepherds, who were told that the very Son of God had been born in Bethlehem: "So don't be afraid," said the angel, "In fact, there's no need for you to ever be frightened by anything ever again, because today a virgin has given birth to the Savior, who will free everyone who trusts in him from the grip of sin." Okay, everybody, this should really give you a reason to sing praises and greet each other with heartfelt hugs: this amazing event that we call "The Christmas Story" served to demonstrate God's unmerited favor toward us...to the point of wiping out our sin and winning us back into God's loving arms. Oh, good news indeed! What comfort! What joy!
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Truth is...while Christmas songs are beautiful, they are also really, really good news.
One of the most-loved and comforting hymns ever written was penned by a man who had plenty of personal experience with loss and grief. In 1819, Joseph Scriven was born in County Down, Ireland, and as a young man wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Royal Marine, but his relatively poor health prevented him from following that dream. When he fell in love and was engaged, his fiancee drowned before the wedding could take place. Perhaps to distance himself from that tragedy and get a new start in life, Mr. Scriven moved to Canada...where he once again became engaged to be married and once again lost his love to death.
Rather than stow himself away in loneliness and grief, he seems to have devoted his life to serving others. He was especially known for carrying a saw with him and cutting firewood for anyone in need. When he got word that his mother was gravely ill, he could not afford a trip back to Ireland, so he wrote his mother a poem and sent it to her in hopes of comforting and encouraging her. It is that poem that was later published in a religious journal, set to music by Charles C. Converse, and became the song we know as "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear:
What a privilege to carry
Ev’ry thing to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear–
All because we do not carry
Ev’ry thing to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a Friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our Refuge,–
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer:
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Truth is...Creatively turning pain into an artistic expression is nothing new; neither is turning worry and grief into prayer. It wouldn't hurt me (and perhaps you, too?) to do more of both.
