Is it ever okay to be anxious? (Phil. 4:6; Luke 12, Jude 1:21)

-
Many of us probably know the verse in Philippians that reads "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (4:6, NASB). We know it's hard not to worry, and we often fail miserably at not doing so! We also know Jesus tells us in Luke not to worry about our lives and what we wear or eat because "life is more than food, and the body more than clothes" (Ch. 12, NIV). So is it ever ok to worry? I came across a verse again today that made me think about this. 

 Jude offers many warnings about false prophets and apostates in his short letter, and then he begins encouraging his readers on what they should do while they are awaiting his glorious return. One of those encouragements is to "keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously [emphasis mine] for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life" (v. 21, NASB). OK.  Finally something I can be anxious about without guilt! You might be smiling with me, but I am smiling knowing that I will fail miserably at this thing I should be doing, and I will probably fail at it quite regularly. It's the classic battle with the flesh--tell me I can't, and I want to; tell me I can, and it is no longer quite as appealing.  There is the rebellious sin nature in all of us no matter how hard we try. That my friends is exactly why we need Jesus! As for me, I am off to wait anxiously for God's mercy, as I need all I can get. ..

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you have concerns or questions, I will do my best to answer them privately. I will publish comments at my discretion publicly if they glorify God.

Popular posts from this blog

An Uncertain Affinity (2 Cor. 4:7-11; Gen. 3:16)

-
Image
Today in my devotion time, I came across a word that led me to another word. Can I say that this is my usual, lifelong problem in reading dictionary entries . . . I have a hard time stopping.  It’s a real problem. ☺ The word connected to the word I was looking up about the tabernacle was skeuos . In the Greek, this word carries the meaning “of uncertain affinity; a vessel, implement, equipment or apparatus (literal or figurative [specifically a wife as contributing to the usefulness of the husband]):--goods, sail, stuff, vessel.” I got caught immediately in the first part: “uncertain affinity.”  Uncertain means “not able to be relied on; not known or definite.” Affinity means “a spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something.” Putting these two words together is something of an oxymoron, which in the Greek literally means “pointedly foolish” because of its seeming contradiction. How in the world can you have an affinity for something you don’t know? How...
Read more

Letting Go Is Hard (Hebrews 12:1-2)

-
I sit among boxes piling a bit higher each day as I pack my life up once again. I say again, but in the grander scheme of things I haven’t moved that often in my 33 years of married life, and since the kids were born, I have only moved three times until now. We will be renting for a while until we can find a place to land, so I am purging things much more robustly than I have ever done with any other move. Sorting through 33 years (plus some things I had before marrying) has been utterly distracting, difficult to accomplish, and slow to finish. Homes need things, and things need a home, but I am finding I have held on to far too much over the years. Letting go is hard. Stuff.  Too much stuff. Merriam-Webster defines stuff as “materials, supplies, or equipment used in various activities: such as personal property.” By this definition, we own what we need to DO something. I have done much the last five years while I have not been in the classroom daily. Pottery was the first thing ...
Read more

Under Construction (All of the Bible . . .)

-
Do you remember the logic  🧩 (or riddles or analogies or challenges—not sure what to call the kind of word puzzle I mean) of childhood past where one was required to look at a grouping of words and figure out based on their arrangement what they meant together? Something like this one below: CONSTRUCTION soul The correct way to solve it would be soul under construction . If you notice, construction is weighty, and the soul is small under the burden of change. Maybe it has seemed quiet to you lately from this quarter. It is true that I have not written in a while, but it has not been because my soul has been absent of either noise or the quiet contemplation of time spent in the Word. I have been wrestling with myself, not with New Year's resolutions but with what I know about God, with the disconnect I sometimes feel between living out truth versus what my flesh wants in all its ugliness. There is the other side of wrestling, however, when it goes on too long without acti...
Read more