Worry
can rob you of happiness, but kind words cheer you up.
(Proverbs 12:25)
"Christian should not worry." But the reality is that Christians are not immune to worry. We are living under the same pressures of society that everyone else is. Like any other responsible parents we worry over financial needs, how to make ends meet and how to provide for our children.
When we worry we live in the future. Worry is a pre-occupation with the bad things that may happen in the future. We worry because we are vulnerable. Because we are helpless. We fell that things are out of our control - that something terrible will happen and we are not able to prevent it.
Our Lord Jesus is not unaware of the struggles of our lives and the worries that come from them. In Matt.6: 25-34, he deals with the very things that confront every one of us. And he teaches us how to deal with them.
25. "Therefore I fell you, do not worry about you life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29. Yet I tell you that not even Soloman in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31. So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32. For the pagans run after all these things, and you Heavenly Father knows that you need them. (Matt. 6:25-34)
33. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus says that our worrying boils down to a matter of priorities. We worry about food and clothing and competing and controlling the future, instead of concentrating on what is important. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (v.33).
Worry is unbelief in disguise. It comes down to the fact that we are not trusting God. We fear that God will not or cannot provide for the basic things that we need. Our Lord Jesus tells us to trust in God's goodness. God, as our loving Heavenly Father. His word to provide for us.
Jesus also tells us there is more to life than this material world. We need to come to the point to realize that those things that we think are important are not nearly as important as we think. As Christian, there is another realm that we should be more concern with. He tells us to prioritize and lay treasures in heaven instead. We need to learn that the things that nourish faith are most important, because in the real tough issues of life, it is faith that we need most.
When we listen to Jesus, we realize that getting rid of worry is a matter of choice. When we choose to trust God rather than ourselves, our worries subside. The answer lies with us.
Worry is how we express our fear of the future. We are afraid of the consequences of what lies ahead. It is difficult to learn to trust God. Each of us develops ways of worrying and becoming obsessed about things in an attempt to control our circumstance. Unfortunately, and helpless we feel.
But our helplessness need not lead us to a sense of hopelessness. Divid, a man who is well acquainted with the human struggle for survival invites us to "Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let righteous fall" (Ps.55:22). The more we realize that God is in charge, and we can trust Him, the less we fell we need to worry. Instead of worrying, bring them to the one who is able to do something about it. I invite you to pray as an expression of your trust in God, so that you can experience the peace that God promises to all who trust in Him.
6. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, ,with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Phil.4:6-7).
God requires us to be good stewards of the income that we have. This involves both generosity and careful financial planning. God expects us to do se. Living beyond our means is a sure source and cause of worry.
Is it realistic for anyone to live within the financial means that one has? Is it possible? The world tells you "No". But the word of GOD tells us that it is possible. Paul knew the secret and he shares it with us in Phil.4:11-13:
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and ever situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13. I can do everything through him who give me strength.
Contentment. And God promises that He will give you the strength to be content. There is a prayer that I find useful. It is called the Serenity Prayer. It goes like this:
God
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot
change, the courage the thing I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.