DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY – WHY WORRY?

Worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles. - Source Unknown.

Can worry make you live longer? - Mat 6:27. CEV

God is a help in trouble. In worry you are on your own. When you worry, which do you worry about, what might happen or what might not happen? Whichever, turn it around, to relieve anxiety. That's common advice in Scotland. For worriers, the Scots have a proverb: "What may be, may not be." - Source Unknown.

A while back, I watched Edward De Bono on television, and he was talking about simplicity, especially in business, and governments, and the necessity 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 books, 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 tell us something that was taught about in the Bible thousands of years ago!

To act out the principle of turning prayers over to God, we took a paper bag, wrote "God" on it, and taped it up high on the back of our kitchen door. As I prayed about matters such as my career, my role as a father, my abilities to be a good husband, I would write down each concern on a piece of paper. Then those pieces of paper would go in the bag.

The rule was that if you start worrying about a matter of prayer that you've turned over to God, you have to climb up on a chair and fish it out of the bag. I don't want to admit how much time I spent sifting through those scraps of paper. - David Mackenzie.

Many years ago, I got rid of a lot of my reference books, and started concentrating on the teachings of Jesus… So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. - Rom 10:17. I find it 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.

Life is a matter of building. Each of us has the opportunity to build something -- a secure family, a good reputation, a career, a relationship to God. But some of those things can disappear almost overnight due to financial losses, natural disasters and other unforeseen difficulties.

What are we to do? Daniel Webster offered excellent advice, saying, "If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity. - Morning Glory.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, 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 religiosity on its head!

I tell you not to worry about your life. Don't worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. They don't even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you worth more than birds? Can worry make you live longer? Why worry about clothes?

Look how the wild flowers grow. They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of them.God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?

Don't worry and ask yourselves, "Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?" Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. Don't worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today. - Mat 6:25-34.

Why don’t we simplify our walk with Him, and live the way He wants us to, by listening to what He says, and putting it into practice.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to simplify my walk with Christ, by taking on board the teachings of Christ, and implementing them into my life. I ask this in the wonderful Name of Jesus. Amen.

Be Encouraged!
GBYAY