A Worried Christian?

We all have to admit that worry is a common temptation in life--for many, it is a favorite pastime. We worry about our children. We worry about our parents. We worry about our business. We worry about what other people will think, or what other people will do. Here in the Philippines, we often worry about our safety. But do you know that worry is a sin? It is neither insignificant, nor inconsequential. It is absolutely contrary to faith in Christ.

Jesus categorically prohibited worry in a familiar portion of the Sermon on the Mount--Matthew 6:25-34. Three times in that short passage He commanded, "Do not worry!", and the way He said it shows he truly understands us. In verse 25 He acknowledges worry as a common practice. However, to continue worrying about anything, or to start worrying in the first place, is to violate the Lord's command.

If you worry, what kind of faith do you manifest? "Little faith," according to Jesus (Matt. 6:30). Now if you are a child of God, by definition you have a Heavenly Father. To act like you don't--nervously asking, "What shall I eat? What shall I drink? With what shall I clothe myself?"--is to act like an unbeliever in God's eyes (vv. 31-32).

Think about it this way: Christians who worry believe God can redeem them, break the shackles of Satan, take them from hell to heaven, put them into His kingdom, and give them eternal life, but just don't think He can get them through the next couple of days. That is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

Worry is devastating. When you worry you are saying in effect, "God, I just don't think I can trust You." Worry strikes a blow at the person and character of God. When you worry, you are also saying that you do not believe the Bible and God’s promises that it contains. When you worry, you are choosing to be mastered by your circumstances instead of by the truth of God. The trials of life pale in comparison to the greatness of salvation. Jesus wants you to realize it doesn't make sense to believe God can save you from eternal hell, but not help you in the practical matters of life.

When you catch yourself worrying, go back to Scripture. Study the Word of God to find out who He really is and how He has supplied the needs of His people in the past. That will build confidence for the future. Let God's track record in Scripture and in your own life assure you that worry is needless because of God's bounty, senseless because of God's promise.

Understand this: God gives you strength one day at a time. He gives you what you need when you need it. God is gracious. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.

Adapted from: A Worried Christian? By John McArthur © 1993
www.gty.org

How About Habakkuk?

Habakkuk was a very unusual name indeed – interestingly spelled, uniquely pronounced. Even for a Jew, his name was not quite that common. But this minor prophet, who administered to Judah (the southern kingdom many centuries ago), has more in common with you and me. He raised questions and problems that still concern the modern Christians today.

Now Habakkuk had a problem...a big problem. Judah, the people of God were unfaithful to God. They were not just unfaithful, they were downright sinful and wicked. And the prophet Habakkuk did not understand why God doesn't intervene. God was not coming down with a great move of salvation and restoration, and He was not coming in judgment, and Habakkuk did not understand how God can just look at this and not act. Is this not the same question many people ask today? The world is indeed more evil than the time of Habakkuk. Our society is full of blatant plunderers, hypocrite dictators, murderers and robbers without fear and conscience. Why is God allowing these things to happen?

God’s answer can be found in chapter 1, verse 5: “Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days – you would not believe it if you were told.” In other words, our God is doing something. He is not just sitting in His Heavens. He is in full control of the world. We just would not believe it if we had known.

God’s answer to Habakkuk? He will allow the Babylonians to attack and destroy God’s people. This was not the answer Habakkuk expected. Because the Babylonians were even more wicked than the Judeans. At first he did not understand why God seemingly is not acting on the problem and now, he did not understand why God was doing what He was doing. This is the same dilemma many people are encountering now. Why is God doing this? Why is God not doing this? It does not make sense.

We can learn something from how Habakkuk solved his dilemma. He confirmed what he knows is true about God “Art Thou not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?” (1:12) What does Habakkuk mean? He's reaffirming that God is eternal, God is sovereign, God is perfect and God keeps all His promises. And on the rock of his knowledge of God he finds security and peace. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines… Yet I will exult on the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” (3:17-18)

"The righteous will live by...his faith." Habakkuk 2:4b

Not Yummy?!

The Old Testament, particularly the Law of Moses has a long list of clean and unclean foods. (The whole of Leviticus chapter 11 is exclusively devoted to it.) Eating and drinking do play significant roles in Old Testament times. If you look at the list now, it would seem that these people were obsessively concerned with their diet. Some have interpreted these regulations primarily as a regimen for healthy eating, some have dismissed these outdated laws, and claim that we can already eat and drink almost anything now since we are already covered by New Testament grace. On the other hand, we can learn something from this. The list reminds us that we are addicted to an unwholesome diet. It is truly hard to stay away from delicious food that will cause a rise in our cholesterol levels and trigger heart attacks.

Why is it that we still long for food which only seems good, mouth-watering, pleasing to the palette though we know is not healthy for us? To put it bluntly, why do we want to eat the food which will eventually kill us? Why are we consumed by our appetites?

This is because righteousness is not our natural food. We are like our first parents, whose hunger for forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden led to the fall of our race. Our tastes have been captivated by other delicacies. We log onto the internet and feast our eyes on things which degrade our souls. We turn on our televisions and get drunk with wine of violence and fill our stomachs with empty idleness.

So God takes steps to help us get over our taste for food that does not satisfy. Christ taught us the Lord's Supper, using hunger and thirst to point us to better fare. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me," This positive symbolism of the Lord's Supper is powerful: Christ alone can satisfy. Christ alone can sustain. All that we hunger for must be found in Him.

Those who bring their hunger to Christ will be filled with His righteousness. The only way to obtain righteousness is to receive it. Even if we wanted to work for it, we could not expend enough effort to obtain it. Even if we wanted to buy it, we could not offer enough money; neither can we get it by loan. Only way: Just get hungry… for Christ, and then you will finally be filled.


Adapted from: Eat, Drink and Be Hungry by John Koessler
Christianity Today © 2007

Walk the Talk

Imagine for a moment that you are living in the New Testament times. Let’s say that you are now there before Jesus started His public ministry. You need to buy fish for your family so you walk along the shores of Galilee. You meet Peter and his partners James and John selling their catch. You are wary to buy from them because you know they have sold poor quality fishes in the past. But this batch seems very fresh. You agree on the price of 10 denarius for a pail of fish. When you arrive home you found out that underneath the top mound of very fresh fishes, Peter has also included rotten fishes at the bottom of the pail! You have paid full price for half a pail of fish!

Four years later you hear about this same Peter who is preaching about a risen Jesus. How are you going to view this Jesus? You probably won't give much credence to Peter’s message because of your personal experience with him. (It is a good thing this whole episode did not happen.)

Fast forward now to twenty first century, in our daily lives at home or at work, all the little things we do and say have an ability to reinforce the message and the Christ we stand for, or make it totally ineffective. In Christianity, as in parenting, it is important to “walk the talk.” When we teach our children to do what we say, we should be able to provide the model for it, or else our message becomes ineffective. Look at the example of Jesus. The four gospels are full of them. Jesus delivers. He keeps His promises. Thousands of people look up to Him. People believed Him. They can sit for three days straight, without food, just to hear his words. He is sensitive to the needs of other people. He lived and preached a simple message of God’s love. And He is very effective.

Sadly, in our business community these days, many businessmen have low opinion of Christians. Why? They use their “Christianity” to gain people’s trust. They do not pay their debts on time or follow-through on their promises.

Understandably, there will be times when we are unable to perform or deliver what we promised due to outside factors. The key to turning these potentially negative circumstances into a witness for Christ is communication. For instance, if we are unable to pay a bill on time, we must communicate with those we owe and make a good faith effort to resolve it within our means.

Do your words mean anything to those who hear them? Do you make commitments and fail to follow through on them? What would others say about how you follow through? Ask the Lord today to show you how you are doing in this area. Remember: Walk the Talk.