Hi Folks:
This week's On Fire is a
little shorter than other weeks. I'm getting ready for my last Arrow Leadership
seminar on
Congratulations to my
cousin Marla and her husband Robert on the birth of their baby girl last
Friday. Sarah Elizabeth was born weighing over 9 lbs. Mother and baby are doing well.
There won't be an On Fire
letter next week because I'll be in
Because we are between
topics, I thought I'd write a little from what we have been working on in our
church. Worry affects us all at times, but God has a word for us to lighten our
load.
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One of the frustrations I
experience as a Christian is having to relearn lessons
from the past. Not to worry is one of those lessons I must continually relearn.
Ironically enough, the ministry is probably the thing I worry about most. It
sounds strange, I’m sure - to be worried about an
area in which I have been called specifically to serve and honour
the Lord.
"How is the church
doing?" "Are we gaining or losing?" "Are we meeting people
in practical areas?" "Are we reaching out like we should?"
"Are we facing our problems with leadership?" "How am I doing as
a leader?"
Every once in a while God
will get my attention and remind me that its His church
and not mine. Then I feel a little foolish that I’m
still re-learning this crucial lesson, but I’m
relieved nonetheless to let go of the burden. All this is to say I understand
what it means to worry, even though I know Paul also tells us not to be anxious
in Philippians 4:4-7.
Worry affects us all at
times. We may worry over jobs, health, family, the future. I recently came
across a description of worry that describes it well. To worry is to be drawn
in different directions. In other words, worry is like a tug of war in our
souls. On the one hand, we would like to pour ourselves into regular life and
plan for the future, but on the other hand we feel drawn back toward the
problem or issue.
One summer when I was
taking swimming and boating lessons, we tied a bunch of ropes together and had
a tug of war. We started with 8 or nine of us from the class. The rope went
back and forth. When one side began losing, they yelled for friends to
join. As the rope inched back, the other team recruited more people. Soon we
had 30 or 40 people involved. No one thought about the strength of the thin
rope we had knotted together. When it broke, it sounded like a rifle crack. One
unfortunate girl broke her hand when the rope sprang back.
That’s a lot like worry. We go back and
forth. We may muster new strength to win the war for a little while, but if we
let it continue, eventually something has to give. At the least we lose our
direction, creativity and patience. Life becomes dull and gray. We drift from
crisis to crisis. At the worst, our health, be it mental or physical, suffers.
I want to remind us about
the antidote to worry. Its nothing fancy. No new
insight. Just a reminder about a basic issue. Peter
writes, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he
may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for
you." (1 Peter 5:6-7)..* God loves us and wants
to lift the weight of worry from our shoulders.
Like I
said - nothing fancy. Just the truth. "Cast all your anxiety on
him because he cares for you."
Hope this helps. Be On Fire
ON FIRE is a weekly
letter of encouragement by
*All scripture
references from the New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978 by the
International Bible Society.