Strategies for Overcoming Worry
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt. 6:33, 34
Jesus meets His followers where they are on the track of life. He realizes that we really don't have our acts together, that we might not be headed in the right direction in our Christian lives, that we are messed up.
With that realistic understanding, He counsels His followers not to worry about material things, because it is both useless (Matt. 6:28-30) and pagan, in the sense of acting as if they did not have a heavenly Father who cares for them (verses 31, 32).
But Jesus' primary aim was not to discuss our problems but to point to their solution. Along that line, He set forth two strategies. One is to seek God's kingdom first. Most of our worries stem from the fact that we are headed in the wrong direction. We desire and worry about material things, when what Jesus is really telling us is that we must be concerned about something, it needs to be about our relationship to God. Get that straight, and all else will fall into perspective in the lives of those who trust in faith.
Living one day at a time is Jesus' second suggestion for defeating worry. "Do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has troubles enough of its own" (Matt. 6:34, NEB).
In 1871 a worried young medical student read 21 words that changed his life: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly in the distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." Putting those words into action daily made Sir William Osler one of the most honored physicians of his generation.
Each of us stands at the edge of two vast eternities--the past and the future. We dwell, however, only in the present. If we are going to live successfully in the present, then we must handle each moment and each day as it arrives. That is not to denigrate the value of intelligent planning for the future, but it does suggest the futility of worrying about events not under our control. Another way of putting Jesus' message is not to fret about crossing the possibly flooded rivers of our life until we get to them.
Thank You, Lord, that You are not only concerned about our spiritual life, but that You care enough to help us live the life of faith in the realm of this world.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt. 6:33, 34
Jesus meets His followers where they are on the track of life. He realizes that we really don't have our acts together, that we might not be headed in the right direction in our Christian lives, that we are messed up.
With that realistic understanding, He counsels His followers not to worry about material things, because it is both useless (Matt. 6:28-30) and pagan, in the sense of acting as if they did not have a heavenly Father who cares for them (verses 31, 32).
But Jesus' primary aim was not to discuss our problems but to point to their solution. Along that line, He set forth two strategies. One is to seek God's kingdom first. Most of our worries stem from the fact that we are headed in the wrong direction. We desire and worry about material things, when what Jesus is really telling us is that we must be concerned about something, it needs to be about our relationship to God. Get that straight, and all else will fall into perspective in the lives of those who trust in faith.
Living one day at a time is Jesus' second suggestion for defeating worry. "Do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has troubles enough of its own" (Matt. 6:34, NEB).
In 1871 a worried young medical student read 21 words that changed his life: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly in the distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." Putting those words into action daily made Sir William Osler one of the most honored physicians of his generation.
Each of us stands at the edge of two vast eternities--the past and the future. We dwell, however, only in the present. If we are going to live successfully in the present, then we must handle each moment and each day as it arrives. That is not to denigrate the value of intelligent planning for the future, but it does suggest the futility of worrying about events not under our control. Another way of putting Jesus' message is not to fret about crossing the possibly flooded rivers of our life until we get to them.
Thank You, Lord, that You are not only concerned about our spiritual life, but that You care enough to help us live the life of faith in the realm of this world.
RSS Feed
