DON'T WORRY

In the words of Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 6:25 (Amplified Bible):

A neurotic is a person who worries about something that didn't happen in the past, instead of worrying about something that won't happen in the future...like normal people!

Worrying is a "normal" human trait. In Papyrus Ebers, a medical book written in Egypt about 1500 years BC, we read how people way back then worried about some of the same sort of things that we get anxious about today. In this book, the remedy to prevent hair turning grey was that a person had to anoint his hair with the blood of a black calf that had been boiled in oil or the fat of a rattlesnake. To keep from losing hair, the book suggested that one apply a mixture of 6 fats to his hair, namely those of the horse, hippopotamus, crocodile, cat, snake and ibex. The concoctions might be different but the concerns are still the same!

It is obvious that as a society we are worrying more and more about more and more...stress, anxiety, fears...drugs, alcohol, pills...mental institutions or worse...suicide. Many learned people consider that "worry" is Public Enemy Number One.

WHAT IS WORRY?

The Greek word for "worry" is derived from two other Greek words - "merizo" meaning "to divide" and "nous" meaning "mind". Worry is a dividing of the mind. The deepest and most serious division occurs between the material and the spiritual. "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:8) When one's allegiance is divided between God's will and man's will, that is when worry and anxiety set in.

Remember the incident when Martha was over occupied and distracted "about much serving" (Luke 10:40), and Jesus said to her:

Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things:
(Luke 10:41 NKJV).

When things distract us, we begin to worry.

REALIZE HOW MUCH IT HURTS.

Worry can actually hurt us physically. Doctors have concluded that worry affects the heartbeat and blood circulation and makes one a candidate for over 200 diseases and over 600 complications known to the medical profession.

Worry hurts us spiritually. Actually when we worry we are in effect calling God a liar and that obviously must hurt our relationship with him. "...he that believeth not God hath made him a liar;" (1 John 5:10)

REALIZE HOW USELESS WORRY IS.

When we worry, we lose sight of our individual worth. Nothing has ever been accomplished by worry. Worry blinds us to the blessing of God. Worry will not stop us experiencing whatever is going to come against us tomorrow but it makes us incapable of coping when it does come. Worry does not bless tomorrow nor change yesterday but it sure does mess up and curse today.

THE ALTERNATIVE...REJOICE!

Be glad for what God has already done. He has saved us. He has demonstrated his love to us. He has cared and provided for us. He has given us some great promises - "Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee." (Psalm 55:22), "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5), "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7) and many more.

TRUST GOD!

Be glad for what he will do. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6)

And God's peace be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7 Amplified Bible)

DON'T WORRY - BE HAPPY!