What are you worried about?

A young child in my office once told me that when she gets in the shower and shuts the curtain, she is afraid that sharks and alligators might get her.  Pretty silly, right?  But, aren’t all our fears pretty silly as well?

Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing (4:7).”  We might interpret that as don’t be afraid, but literally the Greek could be translated as, “Don’t be concerned.”  How is this possible?  Is it possible to live without concern, without worry, without being afraid of what might happen?

Most of us think that in order to have no fear we must be in control.  In some form or fashion, our fears are related to feeling that we don’t have control over something and, as a result, there may be consequences that we don’t desire.  We spend an enormous amount of energy trying to keep that from happening, by attempting to control everything that might affect us in some way.  But, as the young people are apt to say, “How’s that working for you?”

We are delusional if we think we have that much control in the first place.  The circumstances of our lives are often not of our own doing.  Things happen.  What we do control is how we react to what happens to us; but for the most part, the circumstances are outside of our control.  However, there is one who really is in control.

What Paul is suggesting in this letter to the Philippians is for them to pray, to bring their concerns, their worries, and their fears to the Lord.  Today’s English Version simplifies it by paraphrasing this passage as follows, “Ask God for what you need.”  How does this help?  Asking God for what we need puts God in control of our situation.  When we do this, Paul writes, God’s peace will cause our hearts and minds to feel safe; because we know that God cares for us.

David wrote something similar in one of my favorite Psalms, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:3-4).”

What makes you happy?

It's been one of those weeks.  Three days of the flu put me behind at work and I didn't feel very productive when I did get there.  I can't say that I was feeling very happy.  Too often, when I am feeling like that, I look to find something that will make me happy, make me feel good.  Often, it's an iced mocha-flavored coffee.  What makes you happy?

Paul admonished the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4).  Today's English Version reads, "May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord."  I am sure if you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have heard that to be joyful isn't the same thing as being happy.  I feel like, in some ways, that is a cop-out, as though following Jesus isn't supposed to make me happy.  It may be harder to get to that place of actually smiling, but I have plenty to be happy about, even if it isn't always what I turn to make me feel that way?

What is there to rejoice about?  We can rejoice because we have heard the good news.  We can rejoice because we have been delivered from our sin.  We can rejoice because He paid the price for our salvation by dying on the cross and He lives again.  We can rejoice because we can have new life as well as the hope of eternal life in heaven.  There's more.  We can rejoice in the abundant life that we can have here and now.  We can rejoice even in our suffering because God is at work bringing about good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).  We can rejoice because He has promised that He would always be with us.

Maybe it isn't the same thing as being happy; but I have to say, when I stop to think about it,  I am glad for all the Lord has done for me.  I am happy for all His promises that are true for me today, and for the hope I have in the future.  I just need to remind myself of these things.  What about you?  Are you happy?

If you are happy and you know it...say Amen!

What do you want?

What do you want?  If I had asked that question of you a year ago, 5 years ago, ten years ago, would you say today that you have what you wanted?  How would you describe the state of your heart?  Are you satisfied? Happy? Frustrated? Waiting for the next thing to come along?

What should determine what we want for ourselves?  Some Christians have a hard time with this question because they have read the passages about denying themselves, considering others interests as more important than their own, not loving the things of this world.  These are passages that have significant relevance to the growing Christian, but they need to be read in context.  These passages are not saying that we should not want anything.  Denying ourselves and looking out for the interests of others has to do with helping to bring them into a relationship with Christ.  They also have to do with growing ourselves in our knowledge and understanding of Christ and His will for our lives.

However, we are cautioned against becoming too attached to the things of this world.  John writes, "Do not love the world or anything in the world...For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world (I John 2:15-16)."  Instead of loving these things and allowing them to become too important, we need to learn as Paul exhorts us, to be "content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Phil. 4:12)."

It isn't only things that we become attached to as John points out.  We can also become proud of what we do, our jobs, our status in the community, even in the church.  So, what should we want?  Above all else, we should want to be growing in our relationship with the Father.  We should want anything that would assist us in becoming more like Christ.  We should want the things the Lord desires to give us, the things that He has already blessed us with, the things that He has entrusted to us to accomplish His purpose.  Anything beyond that, as Paul would say is "rubbish (Phil. 3:8)."

Spiritual Equipment

This is the first post for my new blog, "Spiritual Equipment."  My prayer is that God will use this tool to further equip you for the work He has called you to, and to help bring you to maturity, "attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11ff.)."

Let's face it, most of us spend our whole lives striving to measure up to someone's expectations.  It may start out when we are young, trying to please our parents, then our teacher's, our peers, and eventually someone of the opposite gender that we find attractive.  Eventually, we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to measure up in our careers.  For what?  What is all this striving about?  What do we hope to gain?  Jesus had this to say, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet foreits his soul (Matt. 16:26)?"

One of the wisest and most successful men who ever lived said that he "wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives (Eccl. 2:3)."  What he eventually determined was that it was all meaningless, "a chasing after the wind," nothing could be gained unless, in their efforts, men were trying to please God.

Think about it.  Read the following questions, but take the time to answer them.  Who are you trying to please?  What are you doing to measure up?  What good will it do for you?  What will you gain?  What will it cost you?  Now, ask yourself, "What do I really want?"  "What truly matters to me."

Consider:  What one thing can I do this week to re-order my life to reflect what is most important?

Most importantly, we need to consider whether God is pleased by what we have made important in our lives.  In the long run, everything else is meaningless.

Godspeed, Phil