God can take care of you
June 8, 2008 (Sunday)
There will always be enough trouble. Jesus said, “One day’s trouble is enough for one day” (Matt 6:34). He also said not to worry about it.
Changing circumstances and difficult people make life stressful. Serious effects of stress can include mental and physical illnesses, emotional instability, bizarre behavior and inability to cope with life. Most of the time the main effect is just plain old worry.
Our problems, both real and imagined, are the focus of our worries.
What are some actions we can take to reduce stress and relieve worry?
Number one is, accept what we cannot change. Paul, in prison, said he had learned to be content no matter what the circumstances.
Number two is, change what we can change. We can take charge of your lives and manage our time. We can exercise. We can avoid some troubling situations and we can refuse to entertain negative thoughts. Let us think good thoughts. Philippians 4:8-9 suggests meditation upon positive virtues can help us.
Number three is, trust the Lord. Trusting Him brings joy and peace (Phil 4:4-7). Faith is the key to overcoming worry.
As we trust the Lord, we can find something good in the situations we are facing. Every problem brings an opportunity to learn something good.
Seek the kingdom of God first (Matt 6:33), and we will discover that God can help us. We need to have faith in God.
Let’s stop worrying. The Lord lives within us and gives us His strength and encouragement. May we rely upon Him.