WHY WORRY?

• That's the secret to life... replace one worry with another.... Charlie Brown in Peanuts
  
  I was watching to Edward De Bono on television today and he was talking about simplicity and how business and governments need to set up departments for making things simple.
  
  It started me thinking about my life as a Christian and the need to simplify, in order not to confuse people who enquire about Christianity. As an example, it absolutely amazes me that whenever I go into a bookshop, I see so many books concerning WORRY… rows upon rows of self-help on how to avoid worry and some of them are very pricey! (Especially to a Scotsman!) Even in Christian Bookshops I see the same thing; it astounds me that so many people are charging us a lot of money to teach us something that was taught about in the Bible thousands of years ago!
  
  Many years ago, I got rid of a lot of my reference books, and started concentrating on the teachings of Jesus, because it was confusing to say the least, that so many people complicate the Gospel, in fact it was distracting me from Him and no doubt I was distracting others.
  
  I find his teaching so easy to understand and yet so many people try to turn them into some kind of intellectual exercise. Jesus came as a common man, lived as common person, spoke the common language and turned religious thinking on its head...
  
  Matt 6:25-34
  Ø "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
  
  Ø Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
  
  Ø Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
  
  Ø "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.
  
  Ø Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.
  
  Ø If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
  
  Ø So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
  
  Ø For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
  
  Ø But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
  
  Ø Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)
  
  Let’s simplify our walk with Him and live the way He wants us to, by listening to what He says.
  
  God Bless you and yours,
  John