31.m. “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

 

Matthew 6:25  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 Philippians 4:6   do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

 1 Peter 5:7    casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 Luke 12:5    But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. 

“You cannot say that Jesus Christ ever troubled about what he should eat, or what he should drink; his food and his water consisted in doing his Father’s will.” (Spurgeon)

 We are to be concerned with the right things; the ultimate issues of life – and we then leave the management (and the worry) over material things with our heavenly Father. Do not worry about tomorrow: If you must worry, worry only about the things of today. Most of our worry is over things that we have absolutely no control over anyway and is therefore foolish as well as harmful. Jesus reminds us of the importance of living for the present day. It isn’t wrong to remember the past or plan for the future; to some degree both of those are good. Yet it is easy to become too focused on either the past or the future and to let the day and its own trouble be ignored. God wants us to remember the past, plan for the future, but live in the present and not to be anxious.

What causes us to become worried, anxious, fearful, troubled, disturbed, nervous, tense, and afraid? Is our focus on things we have no control over and our lack of faith in God having control over them? Belief, trust, and reliance in the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present one and only God will consume the anxiousness, worry, and fear in your life and fill you with love, peace, hope, faith, strength, joy, and courage, to face any challenge today may bring.  We have a choice. We can take our eyes off of Jesus Christ and try to face the trials of the day in our own self-reliant way knowing we are not truly capable. When we choose to face whatever trial or trouble that comes our way in our own power, wisdom, and strength there will be anxiousness, worry, fear, etc…. 

Turn your eyes to Jesus, look full into His wonderful face and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Examine, Consider, Remember

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves”

“if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard”

 

Psalms 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.

Psalms 63:6
when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

Psalms 77:6
I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search:

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Lamentations 3:40
Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD!

Ezekiel 18:28
Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Revelation 3:2-3
Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Revelation 2:5
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Haggai 1:7
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways.

Col ossians 1:21
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Consider your ways, ponder in your heart, meditate in your heart, examine your ways, remember, and WAKE UP, are all reminders in God’s word given to us.  Why are these reminders for us recorded?  It is so easy to get busy with life and things of family and work that soon our heart and mind are full, exhausted, and occupied.  How easy we forget Jesus Christ sacrifice freely given and the call on our lives to humbly serve, honor and glorify God.  Our lives are blessed when we walk with Him. Our lives are fuller when we not only meditate and consider our ways but when we do this in light of His word. We need His word in our lives daily.  Without it we have nothing but what the culture we live in and accepts as what is right and we do what seems “right in our own eyes”.  Purpose in your heart to read it, meditate on it, and consider your ways in light of it.