What If – July 22, 2015

Matthew 6:27     And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Psalm 39:5     You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.

Matthew 6:25     "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?

Luke 10:41     "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,

Luke 12:11     "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,

Philippians 4:6      Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 Peter 5:7     Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Worry is the burlap bag of burdens—overflowing with whaddifs! Whaddif it rains at my wedding? Whaddif after all my dieting, they discover lettuce is fattening and chocolate isn’t? The burlap bag of worry!

No one wants your worries. Truth be told, you don’t want them either. No one has to remind you the high cost of anxiety, but I will anyway. Worry isn’t a disease, but it causes diseases—high blood pressure, heart trouble, migraines, and a host of stomach disorders. Jesus said in Matthew 6:27, “You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.” Worrying is one job you can’t farm out, but you can overcome it. David declares in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside the still waters.” He leads me. He is ahead of me. He is in front. God leads us! And what a difference that makes!