Don't Worry About It!

Updates:

• Sandy is back safely from her trip.
• June is still in St. Louis taking care of Lisa, who is doing better.
• Levi has graduated from his class in Nebraska and is home.

Praise Reports:

• At one time doctors were thinking that Richard might need ear surgery, but thank goodness that doesn’t look like it will need to happen.
• Rain!
• Dwayne and Vivian had a good visit with Dwayne’s brother and two nephews.

Prayer Requests:

• Pam—lost her mother, needs peace
• Hannah—had a breast  biopsy, no results so far
• Toby—they plan to schedule surgery on his tumor
• Brayden—goes to the doctor with a spot on his neck
• Elaine—back problems
• Amber—peace and preparedness when taking COMPASS test

If you’re employed (and even if you’re not) you probably have nagging thoughts that go something like this, “Will the client come through? What if there are cutbacks and I’m fired? How is that electric bill going to get paid?” There’s a sense of responsibility that is instilled in each of us from childhood: we need to earn our way, we have to make it work, we worry about how we’re going to make it. Let’s take a look at what Jesus has to say about this mentality, see Matthew 6:26-34.

In cv. 24 He talks about how we cannot serve both God and wealth, then He says “for this reason (NASB).” For this reason,--since money is not your master—don’t worry about your life. Yes, He said life. As in your car, college, IRA, popularity, etc. And He didn’t say, “Do your best not to worry,” or, “Try not to worry.” He said, “Do not worry.” We don’t find too many direct commands from Lord Jesus in the Bible. This one is important.

But what exactly is worry? We can fudge the issue and say that we’re just “concerned,” “preparing,” “interested,” or “occupied.” Worry means that our thoughts are occupied; we’re suffering anxiety over something. This is a slippery matter since it concerns our thoughts rather than concrete actions, but what it comes down to is this—don’t be concerned with things God has under control. Remember the old “Serenity Prayer?” God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change....

But God doesn’t just tell us, “don’t worry,” He gives us something to do instead. ”Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.” How do we obey this? Let’s dissect it.

1. What exactly is seeking? Is it diligently looking for something that can be observed? Check out Luke 17:20-21. So that’s not it. It looks like finding something isn’t the point, seeking is an end in itself. Seeking is the hunt, the journey, the adventure. Another common translation of this word in the Bible is “desire,” “wish,” “want,” or “require.”  
2. What exactly is first? It comes from the Greek word proton, meaning an essential building block. In other words, the Kingdom of God is more important than food, clothes, and life itself! It’s OK to seek money, a job, and all the rest of it, but keep your priorities straight.
3. What exactly is the Kingdom? It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), but literally it’s an area of rule . It is voluntary, intangible, and coexistent with other kingdoms (the United States, for instance). 
4. What exactly is His righteousness? It’s His standards of right and wrong. Every day we should be evaluating our life, seeing if it stacks up to Jesus’s standards. We must seek to be like Him. Wherever, whatever, God must reign over us. In the light of His standards, all else pales.

Think of Martha in the story of Martha and Mary. She was consumed with serving dinner instead of with her dinner guest. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 10:19 not to worry about what they would say when facing the authorities. 1 Corinthians 7:33 talks about husbands being “concerned” about the affairs of this world.

Now we could take this not worrying thing too far and decide to do something like quit work and go without food and clothing to share the gospel. But if we do this, then who will feed and clothe us? If God has given us the ability to earn money, He doesn’t expect us to throw ourselves on the mercy of charitable strangers (though of course He has provided for His people in some extreme situations, think Elijah). Someone has to send and pay the workers. Jesus only selected 12 apostles to dedicate their lives to service; He didn’t pick 120. The rest of His followers supported the apostles..

In the end, it’s about priorities and balance. In Hosea 8:14 God says that Israel forgot, or literally “misplaced" Him. We’re all apt to do that. We can’t let the world distract us from seeking the Kingdom! The Lord reigns by invitation, not coercion. Seeking Him is hard work! But remember, it’s not really something that we do, it’s an intangible process, an attitude. 

y2.d40 | worry lines, a photo by B Rosen on Flickr.