Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7
Do you tend to think in the binary terms of gains and losses? Most people do, spending great amounts of time mentally tallying events into either a negative, bad news or a positive, good news category. The sobering reality is highlighted by the Greek philosophers of Jesus’ day who said you will never know enough of the story to accurately determine what is good from what is bad until it’s too late.
The Apostle Paul wrote a significant amount of the New Testament from a prison cell. One could assert being in prison is a bad thing – loss – yet because he was in that cell you have wisdom to flourish in a life of faith, a good thing – gain. Ironically, writing to the believers in Philippi Paul uses a term for joy approximately sixteen times punctuating the close of his letter “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice… do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7). He also said, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord” (Philippians 3:8).
Do you want peace of mind in this chaotic world? Stop keeping score! Take everything causing you distress to God in prayer. Ask Him to accomplish His good will in your life and in the world. Pray for every leader you can think of, from your local city government to those making decisions at the highest levels. Ask that many will place their faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son and leave the final score to Him.
Today’s Verse: 1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Matthew 6:26-30
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
