ODJ: anxious times
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you (v.7).
READ: 1 Peter 5:6-11
My friends were dealing with a daughter who was struggling physically and emotionally. Unable to determine the source of her problems, they were getting stretched thin. Not surprisingly, as their precious girl struggled with her anxiety—that invisible foe with physical manifestations—they too started to become anxious.
The world events over the past few years have led many people to experience anxious times. And while anxiety has different degrees of severity, with some people needing professional help, the apostle Peter has given us a prescription for dealing with it: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Peter’s two-pronged plan leads us to:
• Act. We can actively release our concerns to Jesus. The verb give, in verse 7, literally means “to throw upon.” By “tossing” our worries to Him, we can experience a release from the anxiety that’s threatening to take us down (Matthew 6:25-34).
• Acknowledge. We can be encouraged and sustained by the recognition that “He cares about [us]” (1 Peter 5:7). Instead of staying in emotional turmoil, we have the uplifting opportunity to look to the One who cares and provides for us (Philippians 4:19).
One of Peter’s traveling companions, the apostle Paul, expresses some similar thoughts: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done” (4:6). Both men faced “high anxiety” situations in which their faith was tested, so their words come from real experience.
Take Peter and Paul’s words to heart if you’re feeling anxious today. By taking action (giving your troubles to God) and acknowledging God’s care for you (looking to Him, not to your own resources), you can find rest and restoration (1 Peter 5:10). —Tom Felten
How have you been trying to handle your anxious thoughts and spirit? What will happen if you choose to act and acknowledge today?
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Loading ...ODB: to the rescue
March 8, 2010
READ: Luke 15:1-7
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. —Luke 15:7
Martie and I recently traveled to some major cities in several countries. We were struck with how lost our world is and grieved over the millions who have never heard the message of the saving grace of Jesus. The thought of reaching our world for Christ felt overwhelming.
Until I remembered the story of the boy walking on a beach. Encountering hundreds of starfish dying under the heat of the burning sun, he started throwing them back into the sea. A passerby asked, “What are you doing?” “Saving their lives,” the boy replied. “Forget it,” the man said. “You can’t possibly save all these starfish.” “Right,” replied the boy, “but it makes a big difference to each one I do save.”
I love the boy’s perspective. When the wave of sin threw us onto the shore to die, God sent His Son to walk on the beach to rescue all who would repent. And, as Jesus told His listeners in Luke 15, each time someone is rescued, heaven throws a party. “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
Has heaven rejoiced over your rescue? If so, join the ranks of those who reach other lost souls with the rescuing grace of Jesus. — Joe Stowell
When you’ve been rescued, you’ll want to rescue others.
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