Why Worry? Part I

Greetings Leaders and welcome to today's edition of ...

Learn and Grow with Jesus EVERYDAY. 

Today's Topic is: Why Worry? Part I

Date: Monday, February 1, 2021

Bible Reading: Luke 12:22-26 NIV

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?Luke 12:22‭-‬26 NIV

Discussion Question: Has worrying ever changed anything for you?

One thing I have learned by experience is that worrying is the antidote to faith. By worrying we tell God that we trust Him - but not so much. When we are faced with uncertainties we worry. When we feel that our control of a particular situation or circumstance is slipping away we worry. When we have nothing tangible onto which anchor our hope and faith we worry. But no matter how much we worry,  nothing changes until we take constructive action. 

Today Jesus is saying,  "I got you homie, stop tripping. Ain't nothing getting past Me to hurt y'all, ok, so chill, I got yo back, we're cool like dat". 

And God the Father is saying, “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel. I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. Isaiah 46:3‭-‬4 NLT

So what's y'all tripping about? God’s got our back and that's gucci! We've got to trust Him even when the little flicker of light we see at the end o fthe tunnel fades away.

Don't get me wrong, total trust and confidence are very hard when you are in a sinking ship with no ability to swim, and sharks are circling around as if thanking God for lunch.

Some of the giants of faith when faced with unprecedented adversity worried and doubted God. John the Baptist who ordained and baptized Jesus couldn't quite shake off worry and doubt when he was arrested and jailed by King Herod. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He really was the One or should we wait for another Messiah. Do not underestimate what the pressure of adversity can do to a man's faith and convictions about God.

We also have other giants of the faith who in the face of adversity defied fear, worry, and pressure and trusted God to the very end. When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to bow and worship his image or be thrown into the fiery furnace of fire; they made the king understand that they would never bow and worship his image and that God would save them from the fiery furnace. And even if God does not save them, they made the king know that they still would never bow and worship the king's image. That infuriated the king so much that he ordered that the furnace be heated seven times hotter. Surely, they were thrown into the fiery furnace but God didn't bother to send an angel to come save them, He personally came and joined them right there in the fire, fulfilling His promise that "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze". Isaiah 43:2. Their act of faith, trust, and confidence in God was rewarded not just with God's presence, but also with a new death penalty decree by the king for anyone in the whole Babylon who bowed or worshipped any other God that wasn't the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Need I remind you about Daniel's trust and faith in God when he was cast into the den of lions? 

We must learn to trust God without being negligent in doing our due diligence. More on this topic tomorrow. 

Stay uplifted in Christ always and live Cheerfully every day, 

Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for EXOLOM Fellowship. Find us Exolom.com