“…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Apostle Peter

The Apostle Peter understood we all have anxiety come upon us due to the events in our life here on Earth. Financial stress, illness, death, family crises, strife, unfair treatment, job loss, and school problems are all real and alter what happens to us, often in profoundly painful ways. The awesome thing about Christianity and suffering is that God majors in our suffering, and He wants to take on our burden, bestow peace, and provide for us through it. He provides both examples and a template to get through the difficult times here on Earth. He both encourages and commands us to lean on Him and to reap the benefits of faith in His promises.

Cast Anxiety onto God

Ongoing anxieties can be an unremitting burden which causes deep emotional and chronic physical problems. God wants them far from us. Daily worries need to go somewhere and if they remain inside our mind they not only hurt us, but they often lead to misguided, wrong behaviors. In our efforts to deal our problems, we often harm the ones we love.

Peter wrote to Christians spread throughout Asia Minor who were suffering persecution and hardship for their faith. He drew on his former profession as a fisherman to create an example on how to handle their expected anxieties. No mater the source of our anxiety, Peter’s advice is sound. In his first letter, he wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul, a wise man, was very familiar with suffering in this world. As a lead persecutor of the church, he coordinated efforts that caused untold anxiety and suffering in the early Christian church. He threw some in prison and even cast his vote for the death penalty. Once an apostle, he went through repeated, intense episodes of suffering as predicted by our Lord in the book of Acts. “…For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” His advice is a practical road map born out of God’s promise and loving care lived out in his own life.

The Lord is at Hand

Paul wrote to the Philippians while in a Roman prison. His freedom, food, clothing, and daily desires all under the supposed control of another person. Despite his earthly circumstances, he understood that the Lord was with him and was the ultimate provider. He called on the believers to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus on God’s Provision for You

Jesus teaches us throughout the New Testament that God loves us. God loves us so much that he sent his only begotten son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin and live among his people. He served his people, healed his people, and provided a way of salvation for his people by his crucifixion and death upon a cross. Not only does God provide an ultimate way to life eternal, but he provides a way here on earth. It is a promise to be held onto and not abused by excessive wants and desires, but by faith in our Father, the true source of all goodness.

God Our Faithful Provider

Matthew records in his gospel what Jesus teaches regarding our daily anxiety. He says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Biblical References:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Pe 5:6–11). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Php 4:4–7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 9:16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 6:25–34). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels

Men, it is easy to lose focus in life as life’s trials and tribulations build up and create stresses that we do not want to handle or just plain can not handle.  We look to retreat into our work, our hobbies, or physically retreat to get away from our families, others, and life.  Instead of acting in a way unbecoming of our Christian calling, let us look at how Paul encourages us to act in his letter to the Corinthians.

1st Corinthians 16:13-14 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

Be on Guard:

The further we live in life the more we realize that life is not easy, and we have to face choices that affect us and our families for the rest of our lives.  People will get hurt either physically, emotionally, or financially despite our best efforts.   Men, we need to always be aware that there is a roaring lion out to destroy us and our families.  The Apostle Paul’s counterpart, the great apostle Peter put it succinctly.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Stand Firm in Your Faith:

Stand Firm!  Put simply, don’t wilt under the ever-increasing pressure.  Not wilting is an admiral thing, but as a Christian that is not enough.  We must stand firm in our faith. Why our faith?  Again, Peter brings some additional light.

1 Peter 5:9-11 “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Be Men of Courage:

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the proper response to it.  Without our fear, there could not be courage.  It is a word with a combined Latin and French origin denoting the heart – the seat of our feelings/emotions.  Our Christian life should never be founded in the wrong response to fear: hate, strife, division, rebellion, alcohol, drugs, adultery, lust, and abandonment of our families and wives.  Look at Moses’s reminder to God’s people before they entered the promise land.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “…Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Moses’s is reminding the people how God is faithful, and does not forsake his people – ever!

Be Strong:

Strong.  A good word.  Do the below definitions resemble you at work? At home? When you are alone to your own thoughts?

strong \ˈstrȯŋ\ adjective
stron•ger \ˈstrȯŋ-gər also -ər\ ; stron•gest \ˈstrȯŋ-gəst also -əst\
[Middle English, from Old English strang; akin to Old High German strengi strong, Latin stringere to bind tight — more at STRAIN]
(before 12th century)
1 : having or marked by great physical power
2 : having moral or intellectual power
3 : having great resources (as of wealth or talent)
4 : of a specified number 〈an army ten thousand strong〉
5 a : striking or superior of its kind 〈a strong resemblance〉
b : effective or efficient especially in a specified direction 〈strong on watching other people work –A. Alvarez〉

Merriam-Webster, I. (1996). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.

Do Everything in Love:

This may be the hardest phrase of all.  Humans have a knack of living a life of some.  We are full of good intentions with our human frailty and sin getting us in trouble along the way.  Our own soberness, our own strength, our own courage, all fall short of the mark.  Remember, God sent his Son and the Spirit to be all that for us.  We are bought with a price. We are not our own. The Christian walk is more than a simple half-truth, or a behavior when it is easy.  It is designed for us to take hold of the word and live it by truly emptying ourselves, and picking up our cross.  Without being a dedicated and willing vessel, we will limit the outpouring of God’s own power to love others and love God.  The Spirit is willing.  How about you? Be men of courage! May God bless you in devoting your daily lives to this en-devour.

Questions to contemplate:

• Where are you living out your life courageously?
• When you look at your life today, how can you devote yourself more to loving others?
• In what areas can you ask God for help in being strong?

Bible References:

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (1 Co 16:13–14). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (1 Pe 5:8). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (1 Pe 5:9–11). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (Dt 31:6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Images:

Última Cena – Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Walters Art Museum, Iranian – Cylinder Seal with a Lion Hunt – Walters 42797, CC BY-SA 3.0

Like many of you, I personally know people affected by Hurricane Harvey.  Loosing their homes and vehicles in just a day or two.  I am amazed by my friend’s faith who lost everything, yet has God’s comfort and presence evident in her life.  What a witness to her family and those around her.  I know that I have been been boosted in my own faith by watching her testimony since the storm hit.   In these trying times, we should act to render aid and comfort just as Jesus would to those who are hurting.  It is estimated over 100,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed by this massive storm and subsequent deluge of rain.

As Christians, we must remember the way of love written about by our Apostle Paul.  As Christians we can and should give our time and treasure, but most of all we should give with love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We should be son’s and daughter’s of our high king and show Houston God’s love, peace, and hope.  Love changes lives for eternity.  Now go change some lives!

Bible References: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016 (1 Co 13:1–13). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Image Reference: By ABI image captured by NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite – RAMMB/CIRA SLIDER, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61938876

Have you ever considered what Christian fellowship means to you?  What it means to your children?  Christian fellowship acts like a spiritual tuning fork.  Christ’s voice resonates with his children through others.  We hear his voice; his Spirit acts to move our spirit, provoking us to action and good deeds.  We are able to listen to him and act, not only for our benefit and blessing, but for the lives of others and their families.

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Gathering at a local church and neighborhood bible study are essential to our growth and spurs us on to love and action.   A tuning fork left to itself, isolated, sitting on a desk or in a box and untouched, is inactive and silent.  However, when it stands next to others, who are already ringing with the same resonance frequency, it will sympathetically resonate and produce the tone it was made to do from the start.

Like tuning forks, Christians left to the themselves are more inactive, becoming less vibrant and productive, as they are not as buffeted by the resonance of their Christian brothers and sisters.  We were made into new creatures by Christ for a purpose.  We were not called to live the same way as before our conversion. We need to be actively seeking out fellowship to renew our strength and desire to love others and produce good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24-25  “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

I know that my bible study actively stirs me on to be the best parent that I can be on a daily basis.  Their prayers, advice, and exhortation have changed my daily life, increased my joy, and more importantly have led to direct benefits for my children.

Christian fellowship is not just another group event, not a team, not a club, not an interest group.  It is nothing less than changed lives. 

What are you doing with your spiritual tuning fork?  Is it set apart in a box, bursting to be used?  Open it! Let the Spirit of Christ work in and through you.  The ring of Christ is beautiful music – like none other.  The Spirit will do the work.  Just bring your tuning fork near others, and let God’s Spirit grow the fruit.  As Jesus said, a light is meant to be used rather than put under a bowl (Mathew 5:15).  As God changes you, watch others lives be change by your own willingness to have fellowship with them.

Questions to contemplate:

• When have you been spurred on to love and good deeds by Christian fellowship?
• Who can you spur on by meeting together?
• How can you prepare yourself to be in resonance with your church and bible study?
• If you are not in a bible study or a regular at church, ask God to give you guidance on where to search and how to prioritize your schedule to be able to attend a fellowship.

Bible References:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016 (Jn 10:27–30). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016 (Heb 10:24–25). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Image Reference:

brian0918 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuning_fork_on_resonator.jpg), „Tuning fork on resonator“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode

GOKLuLe 盧樂 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuning_fork.jpg), „Tuning fork“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode

Today, I was thinking of all the discord in the world.  People arguing, fighting, and bullying to get their way.  People I love faced with sickness and death. I needed some refreshment, wisdom, and hope.  As is often the case, the Lord used my present circumstances to teach me principles about himself.   He gave me hope from two sources.  The first, was from my reading on the abolitionist movement to end slavery.  A multi-century effort to treat all men equal.  Great men and women made a difference.  One great leader was the great Christian leader, William Wiberforce.  He proved positive Christian actions helped end the blight of slavery.  The second source was in my present suffering.  I sat here at midnight repeatedly throwing up into a bucket, thinking not only about my own minor health problem, but more serious issues, that I have had the privilege to pray about over the past year.  He reminded me that suffering is inevitable in this world.  In those times, we need to seek him and bear each other’s burdens in both prayer and deed.

Hebrews 13:3 “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”

The writer of Hebrews encourages those suffering suppression from their community, disgrace, and financial hardship for their faith.  They faced persecution and needed a foundation they could rely on. Their lives were in functional disarray, and they were threatened seemingly from all sides.  There were hard choices to be made, and a hope to hold onto when things got hectic, hopeless, and hurting.  Their hope and our hope is central to all that is Christian.  It is Jesus himself.  He is our hope, our hero, the perfect one who we can imitate and worship.  We can follow those who came before us like the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and men like William Wilberforce.  Like them, we can take courage and give our lives to help and serve others.

Hebrews 13:7-8 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

We can choose to share in his suffering, and do good to others.  We can rely on the Lord when injustice, hardship, and illness overwhelm us.  For Jesus has proven to be our High Priest, suffering outside the camp for us, to provide us a new life, a new hope, and a future home.

Hebrews 13:11-16 “The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

 

Questions to Contemplate:

What or who do you think of when things are hectic, hopeless, or hurting?

How can we can better rely on Jesus no matter the circumstances?

What positive actions can you take to help those you love?

 

Bible references:

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (Heb 13:2–3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (Heb 13:7-8, 11-16). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Have you ever sat on the beach along the ocean or the Great Lakes and been struck by the all encompassing vastness?  The sheer size and power.  Its gentle tide providing comfort; the waves pounding on the beach displaying its raw power.  Think back to a time in the surf trying to hold your own through oncoming waves.  Its power dwarfing your own.

In a way, this is one of many metaphors that just touch on the sheer enormity and power of God’s Love.  The love of God is a powerful healer of the wounded,  a source of strength for the weak, and even a motivator for service and devotion.  The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian to know both the vastness and power of God’s Love.  He was motivated to serve an unpleasant prison sentence with Joy, knowing that service to such a Lord was deserving of his bended knee, a mark of pledged service to a sovereign ruler.  His prayer is recorded for all those who came after him in the letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

In light of Paul’s prayer, and your own experience with the love of the Lord, meditate on the enormity and power of His love and contemplate the three questions below.

How has God’s love healed your wounds?

How has the Lord strengthened you during times of weakness?

How does the Lord’s love motivate you to serve Him and others despite hard times?

Bible References:
The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (Eph 3:14–19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

The world is full of examples of powerful people, organizations, employers, and countries that abuse or use others to get what they want.  It is often effective, but can only provide temporary or earthly gain.  It will not last beyond this life, and should not be emulated by those who follow the teachings of Christ.  We have a greater purpose to love others, even our so-called enemies,  in order to draw them to Him.

When we are persecuted, we are to bless and love others.  For Christ blessed us with His life,  saving us from ourselves and our sin.  He also delivers us from those who persecute us.  In the below scripture, the Apostle Paul was talking to Romans about how to fulfill the whole law of Christ.

Romans 13:8-10  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

We must be different. Take the challenge to love the next time someone does something wrong to you.  Love them despite themselves as Christ loved you that fateful resurrection day almost 2,000 years ago.

Bible References:

The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984 (Ro 13:8–10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.