Do you cringe when you hear the word "worry?" How about getting a sick feeling that your going to lose your lunch? What about that boss that comes in on Friday afternoon with a stack of files a half foot tall and he tells you that everything must be completed by 5PM for his 8AM conference on Monday in Japan? Are you worried now? I would be!
We live in a worried world. Everything has to be done immediately. You may have been guaranteed an 8AM - 5PM job, but you work through lunch and most days you don't leave the office until 10PM or later. If you are married, when do you find time for your spouse? If you have kids, when do you play with them or even change a dirty diaper? If you're single, when do you have time to date and seek out a spouse? This leads to unwanted worry, stress, and potentially diagnoses of depression and an anxiety disorder. This is something to worry about.
The truth is, we don't need to carry our worry around. Someone has taken ALL of our worry away.
"...do not be anxious 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 your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
Is your heart "worry-focused" or "God-focused?"
If we get caught up in our worries, stresses, and trials our brain functions in a negative whelm. We sulk, shoulders droop, shuffle our feet, fail to maintain hygiene, eat whatever we can find....we have become a worry wort, therefore, we are miserable. BUT, when the worries start, yes they will still come, and we humble ourselves on our knees (if possible) and cry out to our Lord Jesus, He hears us and takes those worries off our shoulders.
How is that possible? Jesus died for us so we wouldn't live in sin, worry, and anxiety. Jesus carried the cross, weighed down with the sins of the world, up to Mount Calvary. He was nailed to the cross on both wrists and through both feet. A crown of thorns was put on He head, a sword pierced His side, and He was mocked "as King of the Jews." He died, buried and then rose three days later. He gave us FREEDOM! FREEDOM from WORRY!
It's just our individual choice to decide if we want to be a "Worry Want" or a "Worry Not."
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Your Sacrifice
Is your sacrifice what Jesus desires from you? God has given us spiritual gifts and we need to give back what God has given us. Financial gifts or offerings are usually the gift people associate with tithing, though much needed, Jesus calls us to sacrificially give of our time and service.
God only commanded the people of Israel to tithe, which means they were asked to give up 1/10 of everything they had to the LORD our GOD. For example, "Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD'S; it is holy to the LORD." (Lev 27:30)
A few weeks ago in my Sunday School class we were talking about tithing and our sacrificial giving. One of our classmates brought up that tithing (a tenth...aka 1/10) our time would be 5.2 weeks out of our year. The question is do we give up that much time specifically for God?
In a single year if you attend Sunday School and Church (approx. 2 hours) every Sunday is a total of 104 hours a year. So we still have 769.6 hours to devote to sacrifice for God. Do you think you're meeting this goal? I can honestly say I don't know if I am. There are many activities I've participated in over the years such as Prayer, Bible study, Choir, Teaching, Missions, Building Committee, Praise Team, Youth Leadership, and more. Some years I have been closer to tithing the hours above, but I'm certain I have never been remotely close to that sacrificial ten percent. In order to meet the sacrificial tithe you would need to spend 2.4 hours every day for 365 days a year. That doesn't sound so bad, but in the world of media and technology, we are super busy. We complain about fitting just about anything into our schedules. Do we really have two and a half hours to give up daily?
The gospel of Jesus Christ does not commanded a tithe. Prior to giving anything to the Lord, we must give Him our hearts, for giving which is void of a personal relationship with Jesus does not please God. Once we have that personal relationship with Jesus we should desire to be a sacrificial giver. For example, "Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, 'Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'" (Luke 21:1-4)
As you spend time in prayer consider asking God what your sacrificial gifts of service are and then how much time you are to put into them. God's timing is perfection and He will guide you accordingly. He may not call you to serve two and a half hours everyday, but then again, He may ask for more. We simply need to trust in the Lord for His direction. Trust me, He won't steer you wrong.
God only commanded the people of Israel to tithe, which means they were asked to give up 1/10 of everything they had to the LORD our GOD. For example, "Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD'S; it is holy to the LORD." (Lev 27:30)
A few weeks ago in my Sunday School class we were talking about tithing and our sacrificial giving. One of our classmates brought up that tithing (a tenth...aka 1/10) our time would be 5.2 weeks out of our year. The question is do we give up that much time specifically for God?
52 weeks a year x 1/10 = 5.2 weeks
5.2 weeks x 7 days a week = 36.4 days
36.4 days x 24 hours a day = 873.6 hours
873.6 hours x 60 minutes = 52416 minutes
52416 minutes x 60 seconds = 3144960 seconds
In a single year if you attend Sunday School and Church (approx. 2 hours) every Sunday is a total of 104 hours a year. So we still have 769.6 hours to devote to sacrifice for God. Do you think you're meeting this goal? I can honestly say I don't know if I am. There are many activities I've participated in over the years such as Prayer, Bible study, Choir, Teaching, Missions, Building Committee, Praise Team, Youth Leadership, and more. Some years I have been closer to tithing the hours above, but I'm certain I have never been remotely close to that sacrificial ten percent. In order to meet the sacrificial tithe you would need to spend 2.4 hours every day for 365 days a year. That doesn't sound so bad, but in the world of media and technology, we are super busy. We complain about fitting just about anything into our schedules. Do we really have two and a half hours to give up daily?
The gospel of Jesus Christ does not commanded a tithe. Prior to giving anything to the Lord, we must give Him our hearts, for giving which is void of a personal relationship with Jesus does not please God. Once we have that personal relationship with Jesus we should desire to be a sacrificial giver. For example, "Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, 'Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'" (Luke 21:1-4)
As you spend time in prayer consider asking God what your sacrificial gifts of service are and then how much time you are to put into them. God's timing is perfection and He will guide you accordingly. He may not call you to serve two and a half hours everyday, but then again, He may ask for more. We simply need to trust in the Lord for His direction. Trust me, He won't steer you wrong.
Love, Sydni
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