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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” —Philippians 4:6 In the fast paced world in which we live, every believer faces the problem of stress, worry, and the various anxieties of our age. In fact this has been called the aspirin age or the age of anxiety. I’m not talking to those necessarily outside of the body of Christ right now, but Christians are cracking up. The stress is just too much for even the saints of God. We are just stretched further than ever before. So the question is can a Christian not just cope with stress, but can a Christian conquer stress? Can we find control in our lives when everything seems to be out of control? The answer is yes if we will obey the principles of the Word of God. Worry is not just a weakness or a respectable sin. It is sin. It’s lack of faith, lack of trust in God. One man described worry as assuming responsibility that God never intended for us to have. It’s like sand in the machinery. Worry is like revving your engine constantly in neutral. It’s doesn’t get you anywhere! The way that we express our concerns and our needs is not to fret and worry and try to fix them ourselves. There is a simple solution. We have heard it so often and we practice it so little, and that is to pray about everything! Everything and anything!   YOU HAVE A CHOICE IN LIFE; THAT'S TO WORRY OR TO PRAY.

 

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Someone Who Cares

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.”

Philippians 2:19–22

In the late 1800s, a preacher in England went to visit a member of his congregation who had taken ill. The man worked the lowly job of a street sweeper. The preacher inquired as to whether anyone had visited the sick man, and was shocked to be told that William Gladstone, the Prime Minister of England, had just left the home. When he asked why Gladstone had visited a man without position or power, the sick man replied, “He always had a nice word for me when he passed my crossing, and when I was not there, he missed me. He asked the man who had taken my place where I was, and when he was told, he put it down on paper, so he called to see me.” He went on to tell his pastor that Gladstone had taken time to read the Bible and pray with him before leaving.

All of us have people in our lives who need a kind and comforting word from someone who cares. Too many times we fail to give it to them because we are not attentive and alert to what is happening around us. It is easy for us to be caught up in the busyness of our daily lives, without noticing those who are in need. Instead, we should take time to consider the needs of those around us, and offer the kind and caring words that can make all the difference to someone with a hurting heart.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Though we cannot guarantee that someone will care for us, we can make sure that we care about others.