Have You Ever Noticed That You Never See A Christian Worrying? We are reading and studying the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew Chapter 6 and we come to verse 24. Just as an aside – this was one of the first pieces of Scripture I learned by heart in Primary School in Perth, in the days when teachers taught pupils to learn parts of the Bible. Education has moved a long way from that. There have been many changes and not all of them have been improvements! Who has won your heart? Jesus doesn’t want a little bit of our time or our talents, or of our zeal or our thoughtfulness. He wants the lot. Jesus came to buy and redeem the lot – to rescue the lot – to purchase everything – every part of me. He wants to bless every part of our lives, and that is why we cannot really serve God and the god of money. We cannot serve our possessions, and some people do. We can try and serve materialism or the tyrant of success, or the slave master of achievement. We can serve all kinds of things – people’s opinion – what others think of us. These are all possessions in a sense and we can serve them, and Jesus says it just can’t work. It is no surprise that Jesus addresses these matters of the heart right at the beginning of His ministry. Read Matthew Chapter 22 verses 34 to 40 – Love the Lord your God. This section is really all about our heart. Jesus wants us to be different in the inside – in our heart. Who is your master? Who owns you? Whom do you serve? You could not have two masters then, and you cannot have two masters today. Jesus says to His disciples, “Do not worry”. It is in verse 25 if you do not believe me! Jesus is not teaching His disciples not to care – nor to do nothing – but He is teaching them not to worry. The birds have to go and find their food. Do not let your lives be dominated, ruined, or spoiled by worry, and Jesus tells us why. Jesus is teaching disciples regarding anxiety. Some six times Jesus refers to being anxious. He is challenging His disciples about our pride – our faithlessness – and the ways in which we can be so easily distracted. This is not a nice psychological message. This is not some sweet and honey coated teaching. He is challenging our pride and faithlessness! Jesus sets before us a path – and a way to live – so that we can be fruitful disciples. These things Jesus mentions here are important, but they are not ultra-important. “Therefore” – because of what I have been saying, now let this follow. Food and drink and clothing are necessary, but they are not the most important. This flows from which master we choose to serve. He is comforting His disciples as He draws alongside them to strengthen them – and us – to heal the world that will be reached through His disciples. We live among people who are so worried and pre-occupied. The seed can grow, and thorns and thistles can grow and choke the seed – the cares and worries and the deceitfulness of riches. Jesus did not want His disciples to be like that. That was not what the light of the world was to be like. Disciples were to be different. These things can be causes for worry and anxiety for many, but they are not to matter most in your lives. Therefore – because of what I have already been saying – do not worry – be different. He does not say – try not to worry – or, have you considered looking at life differently? No, it is a word of command and a word of comfort! Wealth can lead to perpetual worry and insecurity. Materialism can lead us away from God. Where you treasure is there will your heart be also. We seek to invest in preaching the Gospel and healing the sick and caring for the weak and lonely and ministering to the poor. Around 250 A.D., Roman authorities burst into a church and demanded that they be shown ‘all your treasures’. A deacon called Lorencius took them to an adjoining room. “These are all our treasures!” The authorities saw a group of orphans, widows, paupers and sick people being fed. Mammon was the god of wealth in Carthage, the capital of Roman Africa. Money has all the characteristics of a pagan god. It promises a lot and offers security, freedom, power, influence, status, and prestige. Our hearts have only room for one all embracing devotion. Where is yours? John D. Rockefeller was asked – “How much money does it take to make someone happy?” The reply came, “Just a little bit more than he has!” Giving is an affront to mammon – and giving can destroy greed – as greed cries out – “You cannot do this to me”. “Yes, I can – and I will.” Jesus gives three reasons as to why we should not worry. He provides a cure for anxiety, as Jesus points out how valuable we are to God. Look at how important you are to your heavenly Father. God knows what you need and He can deliver. He feeds the birds and clothes the flowers. He looks after His pets and His garden. Our worrying is really saying – I do not really believe that God is able to look after me in these different ways. Peace and calm and poise are all involved as we accept these words of Jesus. So many people are anxious. Look at the Cross if you want to know how much you mean to God. He re-orders our priorities – is life not more important than food – and the body more important than clothes? We become worried about things are not really very important. Jesus wants us to have a sense of what is truly important – His kingship – His rule – His government demonstrated. He seeks to understand realism. Worry does more harm than good. He seeks to establish a daily trust – give us the bread we need for the next 24 hours. You cannot do anything about tomorrow anyway. To sum up – Jesus is teaching about – a cure for anxiety – re-ordered priorities – a realism to be established in the minds of His disciples – so do not worry. Do not be anxious about tomorrow – do not worry about tomorrow – because that can paralyse you today! What is preached, points us to the preacher. Jesus so depended upon the Father. He knew His own worth in the eyes of God the Father. Follow Me, and I will help you avoid all worry! Shared By Sandy Shaw
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 16:03:35 +0000
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