There’s something about worry

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble”. – Matthew 6:34

There’s something about worry. It’s so widespread, and so insidious. It’s worse than cancer. It claims more victims. It costs countless hours of sleep each night. It robs millions of people of their joy every day. Often, it goes unrecognised, or is accepted as normal. The bible says : ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus’. (Philippians 4:6-7, TLB)

If we just take God literally at his word. Simply trust in him. Stop fretting about what could happen ( or not happen)! Stop worrying about what tomorrow may bring or not bring. Don’t dwell on ‘what ifs’. Don’t worry. Actually let God take control. Let go of the reins. Hand them over to someone who is definitely better at doing it all. Someone who has better multitasking skills than you can dream of. Someone who’s organisational and creative skills are beyond exceptional! Hey, have you ever heard the individual cries of six billion people? Or counted each hair of a single baby? Do you know how many birds there are in the world, or how to ensure each and every one is properly fed everyday? Talk about designer dresses, can you make a dress as soft and elegant as a flower’s petal?

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. – Matthew 6:33

It’s about our focus. God tells us to change our perspective. Look up to him. Aim to please him. Follow Jesus. Do God’s will. Read the Bible. Do what he says. Make pleasing him the ultimate goal and everything else will fall in place. And why not? What on earth is more important than seeking God?

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You are not forgotten

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58

Are you seeking God with all your heart? Doing the works  of him who sent you? Trying your best to fit in church commitments, to be kind and loving to your neighbours, studying God’s word, spending time with God in prayers? Wherever possible, perhaps you are using available opportunities to bless people, help the poor, and give of your time and resources? Maybe sometimes you feel stretched in trying to live a godly life and are relying on God’s grace to get you through everyday…

You are not forgotten.

God is not unfaithful to overlook your works. He hasn’t forgotten you. He is still out there working on your behalf. He will answer your prayers. You are precious to him, and he loves you. He actually said he will give men in exchange for your life. That’s how precious you are to him.

You are valued. God appreciates you. He hasn’t forgotten you and he is answering your prayers. He sees your heart, your yearnings, and he knows your desires. His plans for you are of welfare and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God loves you. Be encouraged 

 

Their faith

Mark 2:1-5

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” – Mark 2:5

Jesus healed a paralytic man who was brought to him by four men. Those four men were so determined to get the paralytic man to Jesus that they removed the roof to get to him.  Were they his close friends? Relatives? Believers?Perhaps childhood friends who couldn’t bear to see him wasting away? The important thing is that they got him to Jesus, to his healing, even when there was no more room because of the crowd.

‘When Jesus saw their faith’. Was ‘their faith’ that of the four men or did it include that of the paralytic man himself?  What happens if you’re praying for someone who has faith? What happens if you’re praying for someone who has no faith? 

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” – Luke 7:9

The faith spoken of here is of a centurion (a Roman military commander ) who requested healing for his sick servant. There are many other examples of people having faith in Jesus to heal someone else. Sometimes the healing was for a child ( such as Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5:23) and sometimes for another adult (such as Simon’s mother in law in Luke 4:38-39). Jesus healed them all. Did the recipients all have faith?

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. – John 11:21.  But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” – John 11:22

If the recipient always needed faith to be healed, how about the story of Lazarus? He was sick, his sisters sent for Jesus. He died, his sisters went to Jesus. He was raised from the dead by Jesus.

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. – James 5:15

Let’s keep praying for the sick. Let’s keep praying for one another. God is still answering prayers today, just like he did in the bible.

Expand

Enlarge

Expand

Stretch

Strengthen
People

Spread

Multiply
 Isaiah 54:2-3

“Clear lots of ground for your tents!

    Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!

Use plenty of rope,

    drive the tent pegs deep.

You’re going to need lots of elbow room

    for your growing family.

You’re going to take over whole nations;

    you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.”  (from The Message Bible)

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. – 1 Chronicles 4:10

But you have increased the nation, O LORD, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land. – Isaiah 26:15

For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. – Exodus 34:24

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. – Deuteronomy 11:24

“When the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire. – Deuteronomy 12:20

And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers- – Deuteronomy 19:8

Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. – Genesis 28:14

We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, – 2 Corinthians 10:15

so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. – 2 Corinthians 10:16

Are we being held back by fear or our perceptions of our unsuitability? Perhaps we feel we are too imperfect to be used by God. Jesus said to his followers: go and make disciples of all nations. He was saying, go, train and teach all countries about me. ‘Go’! Expand, increase, multiply and spread the good news about Jesus. Jesus Christ died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised from the dead on the third day, he is alive forevermore and he is coming back for his followers. When God created man he said: be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue the earth, have dominion. God’s plan is for us to tell everyone, and show every single person on earth the love of God and the good news about Jesus. Let’s not be afraid to step out and increase our sphere of influence as followers of Jesus.

Secret

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages – Romans 16:25
None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. – 1 Corinthians 2:8
Do you have a secret? Something so big, so tremendous that you know if it leaked out it could change the course of things. Maybe you feel so excited, you can’t hold it in and so you drop little hints along the way. Or maybe you’re terrified you will blurt it out so you avoid the person in question. Perhaps it’s a secret about something that could have lasting implications on someone’s life. It could be classified or confidential information, available to a select few but not to be shared with all.

God had a secret. An incredibly huge, unimaginably astonishing plan to save mankind. It involved him, the ultimate deity, the King of kings, coming in the form of a helpless vulnerable baby to redeem the world. It would involve God turning his back on his beloved son and allowing his majesty to be taunted and slain on a cross with common men. He would be tortured, killed, and rise from the dead on the third day. It would lead to an opening of the temple to gentiles (non Jews), the salvation of any body: man or woman, child or adult, Jew or non Jewish, black or white or other, anybody who wanted to be saved could do so by calling on the name of the Lord.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved… -Joel 2:32

He dropped hints- prophecies in the books of the Bible. Indeed the scriptures were all pointing to the Messiah- from Genesis right through to Malachi.

And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” – Genesis 22:18

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. – Galatians 3:16

Now God’s great secret has been revealed. We can have access to God through Jesus Christ. We all have a choice- accept His wonderful plan or reject it and decide we want no part in his great salvation story.

TRUST IN HIM

When you’re exhausted 

Emotionally drained

Too fatigued to pray out loud

Looking right and left

Wondering where to turn

Looking back at faults

Worried about the future

Forgotten past victories 

When you’re where you don’t want to be

Trudging through the valley 

Wanting to give up

When you’ve got no strength left

And the journey is never ending

The battle too long, the storm frightening 

TRUST IN HIM
Simple trust

No strength required

No gimmicks needed

No works prerequisite 

No conditions given

Just trust

TRUST IN HIM
TRUST IN HIM

Whose shoulders are broad enough

Who is I am who I am

Who is strong enough

Righteous enough

Always right

Never late

Whose timing is impeccable 

Whose resources are limitless 

Who actually knows everything 

Was there at the beginning 

And will always be there

Lives forever, defines eternity

Transcends death, dying, 

Defeated all diseases
TRUST IN HIM 

Who is the ultimate engineer 

Inventor of mankind

Therefore can fix all man’s faults

Who is the ultimate designer 

Who holds eternity in his hand 

Who can fit it all on his palms

Yet tattooed your name on his hand 

Whose victorious right hand 

Is gentle enough to lift you out of your gloom

The lion who was slain as the lamb

The creator who lovingly opted to die for his runaway creation

The mighty warrior who submitted his back to cowardly bullies

The one who paid the highest price of his life in exchange for our debts

Then invited us to come share his mansion 

Provided life, riches, treasures of his love

Freely without judgement 

TRUST IN JESUS

What do you need to hand over to the commander?

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Imagine how Joshua must have felt. He had thousands of God’s people to relocate in a new place. Not only that, first they had to fight and win several battles. They needed to overcome huge obstacles such as crossing a river during harvest season, which they miraculously did. They were going to have to find a way through a great big wall and successfully execute the feeding and housing of every single one of a huge nation that had just walked forty years through a wilderness.

And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” – Joshua 5:14

Joshua had mighty shoes to fill after taking over from Moses. He also had mighty encouragement from God. As he walked around that day he might have been strategising in his mind, planning which way to go and what might be the best war tactics to take over a fortified city. Then he saw a man with his drawn sword. He wasn’t afraid to approach him and ask if he was for them or for their enemies.  He may have been expecting all sorts of answers, perhaps even a combat situation. But the answer he got had him humbling himself to worship God. God was saying to him, ‘The most important thing here is my presence. Worship me. Take off your shoes, strip yourself of your own strength and self reliance and enjoy my holy presence. I am here now. I will take over from here. You’re not going to fight this battle yourself. Now, I have come. I am here in the immediate present time when you need me. I am never too late. My timing is perfect. I am in charge. I am the commander of the Lord’s army. Hand over to me!’

Far more…

Ephesians 3:20 Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. TLB

I love that it says ‘dare to ask or even dream’. The mighty God we serve is not only all powerful, he is
able to direct that mighty force through us. He blows our mind! So often when we are afraid to ask or are worried that we are hoping for too much, he has already gone ahead and provided. He is many steps ahead of us, in the right direction. His plans for us are of good and not of evil. How awesome is the love of God for his children. How sweet and merciful he is to us. We need to say to our anxious hearts: ‘be still’. Trust God. He can take care of it. He’s big enough, he’s more than willing, and he goes way beyond fulfilling our wildest dreams. Glory be to God.

I believe and therefore I speak

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 13 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. These bodies of ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did; so it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe. We boldly say what we believe, trusting God to care for us, just as the psalm writer did when he said, “I believe and therefore I speak.” TLB

We live in uncertain times, in a world where things are moving at breakneck speed every which way. Things that seemed guaranteed in the past are suddenly not so set in stone. Our personal and sometimes local or national security is often challenged, maybe compromised. There is political uncertainty, in the UK, the EU, different regions have their issues from Asia with the troubles in China and North Korea to the Trump/Clinton saga in America to the continual struggles in Africa. Financial markets wax and wane. In a world of uncertainty, doubt, new threats to our daily lives, we have a constant: God. God is certain. His love is solid and was demonstrated through his giving up his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead and is alive – never to die again. He keeps us safe. God has our ultimate destiny in his hand. His plans for us are of good, and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope. ‘Hope’ that word that the world desperately needs today, is found in him.