If we work for a company that is run very well, and the people who are in control of the company know what they are doing, we as an employee of that company don’t sit there at our desk all day worrying about whether the company is being run well. We don’t spend sleepless nights worrying about if we’re going to be paid or not. We don’t worry about all of the decisions that the top management has to make on a daily basis. No – we simply do the job we were hired to do and leave everything else to the control of those who know what they are doing. Now, on the other hand, if we work for a company that isn’t run well, we might have reason to worry about how the company is being run and whether we will get paid or not.
Well, in the Christian life – we serve ALMIGHTY GOD. And since He created us and the world we live in, He CERTAINLY knows how to run everything and therefore, we have NOTHING to worry about. As long as we do what is pleasing to Him, and obey His commandments, He has promised us that EVERYTHING else will happen according to His will and His will is PERFECT. Notice, I said, “EVERYTHING” else will happen according to His will. Now, the definition of “everything” is, “all that exists”. So, since EVERYTHING is under His control anyway – what business do we have to waste our time worrying about stuff and being fearful of tomorrow or even today?
The Bible refers to Christians as soldiers fighting a war against evil. And in 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul wrote, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” Yet, we get all caught up in worrying about what is going on in the world around us and even our own life. ALL THAT WE NEED TO “WORRY” ABOUT IS – ARE WE PLEASING GOD?
I know. It is VERY EASY to get caught up in worrying about the things of this world. We listen to the news and hear about all the bad stuff going on in the world. Yet, the Bible warns us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” So, Paul tells us, “all this bad stuff is going to happen, so spend sleepless nights worry about it and fretting over what’s going to happen next”??? NO – He simply says, bad things WILL happen, so avoid those men and in other words – KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!
Then, we start talking to our family and friends who may be facing financial or health related problems, and we start focusing on those issues in our own life, and we start to worry about that stuff. Again, God’s Word tells us – “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or’What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
REMEMBER – GOD IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING. Our main and ONLY focus in life is to please Him, obey Him, and grow in our daily relationship with Him. Now, certainly, that doesn’t mean we just sit in our easy chair and waste our life – NO! We can prepare ourselves by doing what we can. We can get an education, be wise stewards of our finances, make decisions after spending time in prayer about them, etc., but the KEY is – as long as we put God first in our life, we don’t have to worry about the outcome or what will happen today or tomorrow.
George Mueller said, “God has never failed me. Even in my greatest difficulties, heaviest trials, and deepest poverty and need, He has never failed me. because I was enabled by God’s grace to trust Him. He has always come to my aid. I delight in speaking well of His name.” George Mueller definitely had his share of trials and troubles, but he NEVER allowed those to cause Him to worry, He simply realized that God is Who He claims to be and that as ALMIGHTY GOD, He CAN DO ANYTHING!! Many times he was kept waiting until the absolute last minute before God came through with supplying his needs or answering His prayer. But God doesn’t operate on our time table, and God knows the EXACT moment when we need stuff and when to answer.
If we took all the time we waste worrying about tomorrow and put it to use focusing on God and His Word and OBEYING Him, just think of how AWESOME and 10000 times better our daily lives would be! What if we took all the time we waste trying to “entertain” ourselves with the pleasures of this world and spend it reading and studying God and His Word, how MUCH that would change and better our life.
Trying putting JESUS CHRIST as the focal point of your life DAILY. Seek to OBEY HIM in EVERYTHING you do. Love God with ALL of your HEART. Only THEN can we fully understand and know Him.
“whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22)
I know it is WAY TOO EASY to get caught up in the life of this world. Mainly because even when we determine to focus on God, most of the people we come in contact with are still caught up in this world – it’s entertainments, it’s pleasures, it’s troubles, and it’s trials. And we daily allow our attention to be diverted from God and His Word to what everyone else is talking about and focusing on. Even most people who claim to be Christians only spend a small amount of time in their daily lives focusing on God – they spend most of their time focusing on THIS LIFE when the BIBLE tells us “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”.
In the Book of Daniel, the Bible tells us that Daniel determined in his heart that he would NOT defile himself with the wrong things. And if you read the entire book of Daniel, you’ll see how AMAZING Daniel’s life was. He saw God work through him in ways very few experience, because very few are willing to TRULY follow God. Sure, Daniel had his trials. Uhm….he was thrown into a den of lions! Yet, he didn’t worry about anything, he simply trusted God. There was no guarantee those lions wouldn’t devour Him, but because of his faith and trust in God, God closed their mouths.
God said, “let there be light” and there was light. God parted the Red Sea for the children of Israel. God sent down fire from heaven in answer to Elijah’s prayer. I think He can handle our lives as well just fine.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.