You Expect Me To Be Still?
I want to start off by asking you all a question; Do you remember what it was like to be a child sitting in "big peoples church"? It was torture wasn't it, and no matter how hard you tried you just couldn't sit still. While that may have not been a problem as a child, because well children just don't have a long attention span, what is the excuse for us adults? Yes some of us don't have long attention spans, but still the average adult attention span is let's say 20 minuets so what is the deal.Even in my own blog post about being still I got off on a tangent, which can be dangerous, let's just blame it on the preacher in me. This week I want to talk about being still and giving our lives to God. In today's world it is so easy to get distracted with work, the kids (for those of you that have them), school, and everything else that takes up our time that we can forget what needs priority in our lives. I mean when was the last time you prayed to God, not because you want something but just to thank him for the blessings that he has given you in life. I know that I don't always do this, but I have been recently trying to remember to always thank God for the blessings he has given me in life, and not just by saying the word "blessings" but by thanking him for each one by name.
Just like how I am sure that someone in your life has told you to slow down and smell the roses, we need to not just slow down but stop and get our noses out of our emails, our cell phones, and e-books and look to heaven for some guidance and thank God for what he has given.
On the other side of that coin is the fact that we worry too much, whether it is that up coming promotion, if I will get the job, what will happen tomorrow....you know to be honest it doesn't matter. What is in the past is in the past, what happens tomorrow is in the future but what is happening now is happening right in front of you and sometimes we are just to busy to notice the things that are happening right in front of us. God tells us not to worry in the bible. I actually have two passages for us this week.
I will start with the shortest because I have used this one with many friends this week. I have gotten several texts this week asking or me to pray for them, or asking me for a verse relating to being calm. This is the first verse that came to mind that always makes me feel at peace.
Psalms 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
I love this verse because God isn't just telling us he is commanding us to be still and know that he is God. Just like how our parents had to hold us down in church and whisper to us to be quiet God is commanding us to stop and know he is God. I find comfort in this because it makes me want to stop everything and look to God and say "Ok dad, what do I do now?"
Matthew 6:25-34
New International Version (NIV)
Do Not Worry
25 “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 than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 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—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This passage is nothing less than power and so much more. I mean with in the first sentence we see the words "do not worry about your life". Wow, the writer hits that right on the head. Is it really that easy though? We go on to read other things not to worry about such as "life, what to eat or drink, our body, or even what you wear." I will say it again, wow. Did you see all those, and that isn't even the whole list of what not to worry about. We are blessed to live in a nation where most of us do not have to worry about shelter, food, water, or a bed so I am guessing or most if not all of you that are reading this don't keep those things at the top of your worry list. The two that really popped out to me were our lives and our bodies. I mean you don't have to look any further than MTV to see that the human body, as complex and amazing as it is, is of great importance as far as looks go in society. It always has been. Now what is considered as looking good has changed. Although Tan and muscly is a good look for guys and girls a like, if you were to look like that in the time of ancient England you would be considered a peasant, pale and fat was the look of the rich.
Ok so now that I am done with that tangent, I want to make sure to emphasize that We need to stop worrying so much about what is happening in our lives and give them to God. It wasn't a coincidence that the writer said not to worry about out lives first. But wait there is more, to sink in the point more the write goes on to say "Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? " This is one of those points in the bible that I like to refer to as a "kick em while they are down" moment. Not that the writer wants to hurt us, but to be honest some of the things we read in the bible are not easy to digest. This is one of them, because we all need to worry less and it just seems like there is so much to worry about. The writer just wants us to focus on what is most important and to be honest our lives and bodies are much more important than material things, no matter what they are.
I think my favorite verse in this whole passage might just be verse 27 which says " 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?" That really is a good question to ask, it's proven that stress decreases our lives, as do many other things that are available to us, but I in all honesty can worrying really add time to our already short lives? NO, not at all so why even do it? Well because we are humans and that is a great excuse but still doesn't answer why we even do it. Like I said earlier, we need to take our gaze off the world and stop worrying so much and just plain look to God.
I really like the rest o this passage because the writer dives even deeper into the topic of worrying and why it isn't important. and I will let you read the passage and take from it things in your personal study. What really made me think the first time I read this passage and still to this day makes me stop and ponder on is is verses 28-30. "28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 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—you of little faith?" The writer makes a good point, our God who created this world in 6 days and created us humans, in fact we were the only things created in his image, so there is that; Our God takes care of grass and flowers, things that weren't created after his image are still cared after by him and yet we worry and don't quite grasp that God loves us and cares for us even more. The end of verse even says that God knows that we need food, drink and clothes so don't worry about it because the pagans are the ones that go chasing them.
We can't address this passage and over look verses 33 and 34
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Not only did the writer tell us not to worry he shows us exactly where to put our focus, some place more important that anything of this Earth could ever hope to attempt to be. We need to Seek His Kingdom and Righteousness First, before we do anything else we need to seek his kingdom and his righteousness first, and after we do that we will then be given the things we need. It's a cause and effect thing. You see the cause is us seeking his kingdom and righteousness and the effect is that we will receive the things that we need; but to be honest how could we not want God's kingdom and righteousness. I know I am sitting here thinking about this and just jumping on the inside to achieve them. I want to be like God so much that it tears me up on the inside to achieve that. I do hope and pray that you do also.
I can't think of a better verse than 34 to wrap things up and conclude with. This verse does a better job than I ever could us summarizing the topic of this devotion, but when is that not the case with God. His words are always better than mine, which is why I pray that it is God speaking through me with these devotions and not me.
Have you ever had a day where something didn't go wrong? If so I would love to be in your shoes. The answer is no, it isn't possible, it even says so in this verse that each day has enough trouble of its own. I fully agree some days more troubles than others. Like it or not we live in a fallen world riddled with sin, so it's not an if something goes wrong but when in our lives some trouble pokes its ugly head out how do we handle it. Do we worry or do we turn to God; I hope the answer to that question is that we turn to God. Remember turn your sight's from the problems in front of you and let the day worry about itself. I am not saying not to be responsible for your life but instead of worrying so much try looking to God.
So if you don't get anything else from this at least take this from this weeks devotions. At least once this week when you find yourself in the midst of troubles remember to stop, pray and turn your focus toward God. I bet you would be surprised how much this may make that trouble, problem or issue go away; and even if the problem doesn't become easier, you have God to lean on and as Jesus said in Matthew 11: 28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
So I leave you with this, sometime this week when the troubles of this world seem to abound all around you remember to look to God and lean on Jesus.
Here is your discussion for the week:
If you have ever tried to help with an event at a church you have seen how busy they can get. Well imagine what it is like to work as a minister, youth or adult; not only do you have events to plan but people to Shepard and your own personal life to focus on. On top of all that you have to make sure that your job doesn't allow you to turn your relationship with God into a job. My discussion question is this: What one piece of advice would you tell a minister on how he can keep his focus on God and less on the stress of the job.
God Bless,
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