The Very Negative Effects of WORRY on a Believer in Christ Jesus!

07 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 6:34a.       Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.

Oh friends, thankfully we’ve lived to see Tuesday, while Monday, with all its frustrations has been thrown into the dustbin of time to be forever forgotten. That’s why we need to find a balance between taking each day seriously and not taking it too seriously. And possibly the best advice on that subject comes from Jesus Himself, when, in the Sermon on the Mount, he taught us thus: 

‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (don’t worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat (food), and the body than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25) What an awesome statement that is my brethren! It encompasses so much. Prior to this Jesus spoke about trying to serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:24) 

That therefore explains the scholars’ opening remarks. ‘Jesus now deals with the equally dangerous tendency of those who have few possessions: worry! Take no thought means “Do not be anxious.” Meaning to be so disturbed about material needs that we distrust God and are distracted from faithfully doing His will. Anxious care is the direct opposite of faith. Therefore, even the poor are not to worry needlessly about what they should eat, drink, or wear. 

The question Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than clothing? indicates that inner mental stability must come from the spirit of a man and not from outward physical provisions. To set one’s heart on material possessions or to worry about the lack of them is to live in perpetual insecurity and to deprive oneself of the spiritual blessings of God.’ 

Oh my people, that’s a lot to take in, and also much easier said than done when we’re going through serious deprivation. However, it’s in those times when we can build out faith in God, by doing what we can, then leaving the rest to Him, placing it all in His faithful and generous hands. And I can tell you from personal experience that that’s not very easy to do when you have no idea how your going to make both ends meet. But, if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, that’s exactly when we have to take a leap of faith and trust in Him, surrender our all to Him. 

And that kind of faith doesn’t grow overnight; it takes trusting Him on several occasions and seeing Him come through on each one, before your faith will start to grow. And each time you lay your trust in God, it becomes easier to believe and have faith that He will faithfully do what He’s promised. Yes friends, that’s how faith grows. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to grow it; only personal experience can bring us to the truth of God’s faithfulness and trust. 

And I like how Jesus illustrates His point in that verse by using the things of nature around Him. ‘Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  Which of you by taking thought (by worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature (height)? And why take ye thought for raiment (worry about clothing)? 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed (clothed) like one of these. Wherefore if God so clothe (clothes) the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?’ (Matt. 6:26-30) 

And truthfully friends, we can’t argue with any of Jesus’ statements, for the birds of the air, the lilies of the field and the grass of the earth are all fed and made beautiful by the Lord God Almighty. And if those less important things are so well looked after, why wouldn’t our heavenly father look after His most precious creation eh? No reason whatsoever! 

That’s why Jesus exhorts us: ‘Therefore take no thought (do not worry), saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:31-33) 

Yes my people, that’s the right way to go. Having pledged allegiance to God, we must continue seeking His kingdom and His righteousness above everything else. If we put God as Number ONE in our lives, we will be blessed with all that we need. Please note, not necessarily what we want, but what we need, for our needs and wants are not always the same, neither do they always match up with God’s will for our lives. (smile) 

And to end the subject of worry, Jesus leaves us with this tidbit of advice. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble ) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And the scholars tell us; “This means that each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’  

Yes my fellow saints, living for Christ is not a cakewalk, but if we take what He says seriously and put it into practice, we will live a life that’s incomparable, and one that shines bright like the sun at noonday! We will be blessed with the abundant life that Christ died for us to have! God will faithfully keep His part of the bargain, if we keep ours. Now let’s concentrate on keeping ours by declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that pledge, it’s now our duty to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…for the best earthly life…seek first the things of heaven…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Mankind’s Invaluable Worth to His Creator, Almighty God!

29 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 10:31.       Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Sunday friends, it’s Sunday! And a fine looking one too! That means a gathering in the Lord’s house to worship and celebrate His holy name, on His day! And there’s nothing better than when we pray, praise, sing and glorify our wonderful God and Creator, and feel the glorious workings of His Holy Spirit right down in the very depths of our souls, which refreshes, cleanses and uplifts us so that we can go out and do His work for another week in this topsy-turvy world. 

And our opening words of praise is a magnificent hymn written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D Martin and composer Charles H Gabriel. The story of the song is very inspirational. It seems that in the spring of 1905, Mrs. Martin and her husband were holidaying in the town of Elmira in New York Sate. While there, they developed a strong friendship with a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle. She refers to them as true saints of God. 

Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for close to twenty years, while Mr. Doolittle was an incurable cripple who got around to his business and elsewhere by means of a wheelchair. However, despite their severe afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day, as the Martins were visiting the Doolittles, Mr. Martin enquired as to the secret of their bright hopefulness. Mrs. Doolittle’s simply replied: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me.’ 

Oh friends, what boundless faith to be called forth from a sick and suffering physical body! How our desperate world could use many of the Doolittles at this critical juncture in our journey. And now that we know our song for today is ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow,’ let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifice to high heaven and offer up a mid-tempo, soulful and sincere version of this awesome song. 

Singing: ‘Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.) 

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus) Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise; When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, From care He sets me free; 

His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me, His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. (Chorus: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. Yes, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ 

And to truly believe that my people takes a very mature and sure faith in Christ Jesus. Now, the scriptural basis for the song seems to be from three basic passages. The first one comes from Psalm 32, where Bruh David is writing of Confession and Forgiveness. In the 8the verse he writes thus of divine instruction: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way in which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8) That means the Lord’s eyes are always upon us, but we also have to be cognizant of His presence and pay attention. 

Then there’s this reasoning from Jesus on the subject of worry, from His famous Sermon on the Mount, where He states: ‘Behold (look at) the fowls of the air (birds): for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?’ (Matt. 6:26) 

Now that’s an interesting question my people. If mankind is the Lord’s greatest creation, and He looks after the lesser creations like the birds, why wouldn’t He look after us eh? No reason whatsoever! But we have to believe and live it, like the afflicted Doolittles were doing back then in 1905 in the town of Elmira in the State of New York. 

We can’t say we believe and then don’t show the fruit of that belief, the fruit of the Spirit in our lives – LOVE, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Kindness, Faithfulness and Self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) If those virtues are not playing a major part in our lives, then we’re not sincerely living the Christian life. 

But getting back to the scriptural basis for the song. The last verses come from when Jesus is teaching on the subject of fear; fearing God or mankind. He asks: ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing (the lowest coin denomination)? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father (without His permission). But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.’ (Matt. 10:29-31) 

Ah my fellow saints, that’s Jesus for you; always encouraging and enlightening us as to our value to our heavenly Father. As the scholars say, He reminds the disciples, and consequently us of ‘God’s LOVING care even for sparrows, and His gracious providential care over His saints.’ And most of us have seen physical evidence of God’s providential care for us, so why do we refuse to sincerely believe and do the work we’re called upon to do eh? Who knows? 

Nonetheless, we’ll end with these marvellous words of encouragement from this commentary. ‘Throughout life, we may feel discouraged and down. But always remember that He is by our side and watches over us through it all. Just like the lyrics of ‘His Eye Is On The Sparrow’ remember that He is with us in all that we do. Do not be troubled because we have the King of kings on our side!’ 

And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is on our side, thus no one can harm to us. Let’s remember that as we go about our daily business in God’s name! Much LOVE!

…if God be for us…who can be against us… (Rom. 8:31)

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien