Thought for the day
Overcoming Worry (part 4)
The following are reported to be actual announcements taken from various church bulletins.
They have been around for a while, but they're still enjoyable:
Thursday night -- potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.
For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
This afternoon there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First xxx Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
During the absence of our preacher, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when A. B. Doe supplied our pulpit.
Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.
Preacher is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.
Church Rummage Sale: A good opportunity to get rid of anything not worth keeping but too good to throw away. Bring your husband.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 members to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
Don't let worry kill you. Let the church help.
Putting out a church bulletin, I know how easy it is to slip up and misprint a word or word something in a "less than desirable" way. But the church can help (overcome worry, not kill you). More specifically, Jesus Christ can help you deal with worry. We've looked at the reasons that Jesus says we shouldn't worry (it doesn't do any good, it expresses a lack of faith, it is characteristic of heathens). Now, let's look at what he says about how to overcome worry:
(1) Prioritize, Put First Things First"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)I wrote earlier that worry means having a divided mind. The way to get rid of worry is to do what Jesus told Martha, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed..." (Luke 10:41-42a)
If you really want to live a worry-free life, Matthew 6:33 is the key. Every morning, as you get up to face the day, tell the Lord, "Today my desire is to seek your will, Lord, to do your righteousness. Whatever happens, whatever I encounter, may I be sensitive to your presence and depend on your strength. May your kingdom be my highest priority, the most significant thought in my mind. This day is yours, Lord."I guarantee that as you care more and more about giving God first place in your life, you will care less and less about the things that once strangled you emotionally and spiritually, stealing your peace.
(2) Live One Day at a Time"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)
So many of us worry about "what's gonna happen". What if this happens, or what that happens? God understands that we have a habit of worrying about tomorrow and next year and 20 years from now, so Christ tells us to concentrate on the problems of today.I'm reminded of when the Israelites were given manna every morning. They were told by God to collect only enough food for one day. But some of them, no doubt, were tempted to worry about tomorrow. What if there's no manna when we wake up? We could starve to death.
So just to be on the safe side, they set aside some manna to get them through the next day. But when they got up the next morning, it was filled with maggots. What God wanted them to understand was this -- you don't worry about tomorrow. I'll be here for you tomorrow just as surely as I'm here with you today. If you really believe that, then you don't need to worry about what's going to happen tomorrow.
Once again, it all comes down to faith. If we're going to get rid of worry, we're going to have to strengthen our faith in God, our trust that God will always be here for us just as he promised he would be.I close out our study about worry with these words from the apostle Paul: "Be anxious for nothing (that is, don't worry about anything), but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. That's great advice!
Verses
Mark 9:23
And Jesus answered, "The question is, if you can do anything. Everything is possible for the person who believes."
Matthew 10:1
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Corinthians 3:6
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
John 15:7
If you stay with me, and my sayings stay in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.
Romans 5:17
It is true that because of one man's sin death held sway because of that one man; but it is still truer that those who receive the far more effective power of grace with the free gift of a right relationship with God will reign in life because of what the one man Jesus Christ has done.
Prayer
Father, we want to be a shining light to the nations, to bring a word of hope to the peoples of this earth so that the whole world will know there’s salvation in Your name, there’s awe in Your supernatural deeds and there is eternity to be gained in exchange for a temporal world. We don’t want to take for granted Your awesome deeds recorded in Scriptures or things done for us in the past. Would you do it again, Lord! Reveal Your power anew and make it known in our time, we pray. Amen.
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