How Much Better Are Ye Than The Fowls? (Part 2)
WORRY SHOWS A LACK OF TRUST IN GOD’S PROMISES
Fretfulness in the life of a Christian is the product of a lack of conviction about the faithfulness and willingness of God to keep His promises. God knows our every need—”For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matt.6:32). He has promised to provide those things that we need if we are willing to put Him above all else. The promise of God still holds true: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt.6:33). First indicates priority. If God’s righteousness and His kingdom are not the most important things in our lives, then we have much about which to be worried! But if we are willing to enthrone God in our hearts, and place no other before Him, then we have every assurance that He will take care of our needs! God’s promises never fail, for He cannot and does not lie (Titus 1:2). Let us have the faith of Abraham, who believed the promise of God concerning Isaac, even when the fulfillment of such was outside of the realm of human possibility: “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Rom.4:21). May we, like Paul, say, “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (1 Tim.1:12). The hymn writer understood the futility of worry and the needless burden it brings when he wrote, “Oh what peace we often forfeit; oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” We can have confidence in the promises of God. Such conviction will alleviate worry and anxiety which plagues the lives of so many.
WORRY BORROWS FROM AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Today brings with it enough troubles and trials with which we must deal. Worry often causes us to reach into the future and attempt to bring its problems to bear on today. Listen to the words of our Savior: “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.6:34). Who in his right mind would want to add more problems to his life by seeking a loan from the problems of tomorrow? Yet, this is precisely what so many of us do when we worry. The sad reality is that we worry most often about things that will never happen! If we can learn to deal with and act upon those things that are within our control, and turn over to God those things we can do nothing about, then we will find it unnecessary to continually borrow from the bank of tomorrow’s troubles. The Christian understands that he must prepare for what lies ahead. We must make adequate provision for ourselves and our families for the future (Prov.6:6-11). We must be ready to stand before the Lord in the Judgment (2 Cor.5:10). These are deposits against the future, not withdrawals. While we must prepare for what lies ahead, we must also realize that we live one day at a time. We know not what the future holds (Prov.27:1), but we know Him who holds the future! We must render our best in service to the Lord today, while it is called today (Heb.3:13; John 9:4). We must put our all into the work of the Lord, fully trusting in God to bless and provide us with those things that we need. You likely have heard or seen that illustration of today being a bank of blessings to use. Each day God deposits into our account 86,400 seconds that we can use in any way we see fit. At the end of the day, all unused time is lost, and the next day the process begins all over again. We must use the time that we have right now, for we have never been promised another day (James 4:13- 14). Don’t borrow from tomorrow, and allow worry to rob you of the joy that could be yours right now!
We are the crowning jewel of God’s creation. As God surveyed all that He had made, He saw that it was good (Gen.1:25). Only after creating man did God saw that it was very good (Gen.1:31). Knowing then that we are the apex of God’s created order, and knowing that God provides freely for His lesser creatures, we can have every confidence that God will care for us! For the faithful Christian, the promises of God are even more abundant. “Be not dismayed, what-e’re betide, God will take care of you.”
-Patrick Morrison
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