Monthly Thought

September 2007

Hey again everyone, this is my thought for the month. I thought this might fit with people starting new courses and new school years and all that jazz.

A while ago in house group we were looking at Matthew 6:25-34 which if you aren't familiar with is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount where he talks about worrying which says:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look 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? 27Who 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. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6 v25-34.

I was reading in my bible which has extra little study bits and stuff, It said that there is nothing wrong with planning for "tomorrow" and in fact planning stuff can help to reduce worry, time spent planning can be a good thing but time spent worrying is just a waste, I can't remember who said but "worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere". I mean in something planning you decide what you need to achieve and set goals and stuff, worrying you are just consumed with fear of hypotheticals, like what if I don't get this done; what if I don't understand this; what if I can't do it; and stuff like that which is no use. My study bible highlights seven reasons in the passage to not worry:

1. (v25) God who created you and your life can be trusted with the details of your life.
2. (v26) Worrying about the future can stop or prevent you getting stuff done today.
3. (v27) Worrying is more harmful than it is helpful.
4. (vs28-30) God doesn't ignore those who depend on him.
5. (vs31-32) Worrying is kinda showing a lack of faith; we need to trust in God and understand that he is there for us.
6. (v33) Worrying can keep us from doing the stuff that God wants us to do.
7. (v34) Living one day at a time keeps us from being overcome by worry.

Now that's all fine and well saying all that but just saying don't worry is a bit hard I mean if you could just not worry you wouldn't. Its like when people get stressed and someone says relax, sometimes it can work if you don't realise you have got a bit worked up but other times its just stupid. I mean if you are worried or stressed and you know that you are stressed or worried, its not as if someone saying relax is gonna make you think, "that's brilliant, why didn't I think of that, I'll just relax then!" What I'm saying is it helps to have something proactive to do, rather than a 'don't do this', its useful to have a 'do this' instead...

With that in mind here are a few other verses which are kinda about worry.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4 v6-7

So rather than worrying about things in our daily life, we need to pray to God and ask for his help and his guidance, and also it says that if we do this, not only will we not be worrying but the peace of God will be with us. Someone said in house group that basically worrying is an absence of peace, so when we pray we lose the worry and gain the peace.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5 v6-7

So in this it says we need to be humble and cast all our anxiety on him cos God loves us. I think verse 7 is an important thing again things we are anxious about bring them to God, he wants to help us; he wants to support us because he loves us. But I think verse 6 is often a problem, I find when I'm doing work for school/uni or if there just seems to be too may things in the day to fit in I feel like... man I have so much work that I have to do, I can't do it all its too much for ME and I don't know if I can do it, there is enough time for ME to do all that I need to...

Any of that sound familiar? But the thing is when it gets tough, rather than bringing it to God I get even more introspective and basically look to myself even more, rather than coming to God saying, "can you help me get this done?" I focus on myself and try and do it under my own strength if you get me. We need to be humble and ask God to help us out rather than trying to go it alone.

Last but not least, and this is the last bible verse and I'll stop preaching at you, is Proverbs 12:25:

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

Well worrying about things can weigh you down and make things seem even harder, and life can just kinda mount up. We need to bring it all to God and I hope that in reading this "kind word" you have been cheered up.