What to Do About Worry?

 

       What do we do about worry?  Sometimes we may wish we had a switch that we could flip and turn off our worry, but it isn’t that easy.  I believe it was Alcoholics Anonymous that suggested these three possibilities:

 

1) Change the things we can,

2) Accept the things we cannot change,

3) And have the wisdom to know the difference.

 

But what does the Bible say about worry?

 

Jesus addressed the issue of worry in the Sermon on the Mount.

 

(Mat 6:24-34 NKJV)  "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon¹.

 

¹ìáììùíOò  mammoônas

Thayer Definition:

1) mammon

2) treasure

3) riches (where it is personified and opposed to God)

Jesus then begins to explain what He means:

·         As He will say later, our first concern must be spiritual, material.

·         You cannot serve God and mammon.

·         We cannot serve two masters.

 

Jesus wanted us to understand that we are stewards, not owners of the things we seem to have.

 

It’s a lesson that’s hard for us to learn.

 

Jesus taught this lesson in two ways that we want to think about:

 

1.       His interaction with the “Rich young ruler.”

 

(Mark 10:21-22 NKJV)  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." {22} But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

·         We ask the question, did he have possessions, or did the possessions have him?

·         What he didn’t understand is that what he had wasn’t really his.

 

In a moment we can lose everything in death.

But Who gives us life?

 

 

(Luke 12:16-18 NKJV)  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. {17} "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' {18} "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. [And God is completely ignored!]

 

·         There is apparently no thought of giving a portion to God.

·         There is no mention of any thanksgiving to God for his blessing.

·         There is no thought of life in the world to come.

·         His all consuming thought was with the here and now.

 

It is easy to become involved in our possessions, but we need to be careful or we can become too involved.

To continue the parable:

 

(Luke 12:19-20 NKJV)  'And I will say to my soul, [As if he were the master of his soul] "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' [He thought he was in total control, but he wasn’t.  This is a classic case of a man who was serving mammon] {20} "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  --Not His!  Sobering thought!

 

Then the sobering lesson for all of us:

 

(Luke 12:21 NKJV)  "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

 

But it doesn’t have to be death that causes serious loss.

 

In a few moments we can lose everything in a storm.  Who keeps us from the storm?

 

In whom are we trusting?  Is it in God, or are we trusting too much in our selves and our things?

 

 

 Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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?

 

·         Who gives us life?

·         Who gave us our body?

·         Again, the question of God or mammon gets very big:  In Whom, or in What have I placed my faith or trust?

 

 {26} "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

 

"Look at the birds of the air:  Yes, look at them!  Where is their next meal coming from?  Think about it!  They have no home, no health insurance, no IRA, nothing in savings, and the nothings go on and on because they have nothing -- except One Thing! 

 

They have God!  your heavenly Father feeds them.

 

Accept the fact that you are powerless

 

It is not a good felling!  We want to be in control, but look at the facts:

 

Matthew 6:27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? {28} "So why do you worry about clothing?

 

Jesus is really saying, you are powerless to do so many things, so why do you worry?

 

Matthew 6:28b: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; {29} "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 

“Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

 

All their beauty is due to no effort on their part: “they neither toil nor spin;” -- They do nothing to earn it!

 

 

{30} "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

 

 

Jesus put it this way for us to consider

 

{32} "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 

God or Mammon?  Look at verse 33!

 

{33} "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 

·         To God, it’s His kingdom and righteousness that are all important.

·         Too many times we get things reversed and the material things become too important.

·         Do the material things matter?  Yes, but God says, “Let me take care of that.” -- and all these things shall be added to you.

 

Finally!

 

{34} "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

So what am I to do now?

 

(1 Pet 5:6-7 NKJV)  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, {7} casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

 

Harley’s interpretation:

 

When you go to bed tonight:

·         Tell God all your troubles, problems, and concerns.

·         Tell Him you need Him and that you don’t have the answers – unless you think you do.

·         Ask Him to help you do the things you need to be doing, and to know what they are.

·         Don’t forget to thank Him for His goodness.

 

(1 Th 5:16-18 NKJV)  Rejoice always, {17} pray without ceasing, {18} in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

1) Change the things we can,

2) Accept the things we cannot change,

3) And have the wisdom to know the difference.

 

1) Change the things we can,

Always be willing to do what we can to solve, or work out problems.

 

(2 Cor 6:1 NKJV)  We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

 

2) Accept the things we cannot change,

 

(2 Cor 12:7-9 NKJV)  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. {8} Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. {9} And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

 

(James 1:5 NKJV)  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to my Web site    Sermons I have Preached