"Hither to Me, all who are toiling and laden, and I will be giving you rest. Lift my yoke upon you and be learning from Me, for meek am I and humble in heart, and you shall be finding rest in your souls, for My yoke is kindly and My load is light"
Matthews Account 11: 28-30, Concordant New Testament
A lot has been said recently about the rise of drug abuse in this country. Here in Portland, Oregon, voters passed a measure which effectively made the possession of small amounts of drugs legal. Of course, along with this new found territory came the consequences as well. Streets filled with used drug needles and scraps of tin foil. The sad victims of this addiction wander our streets. It's not as if this is something new, for men have all too often found that convenient crutch to help them cope with whatever they have happening in their lives. My own father was a deputy sheriff by trade for many years. Unfortunately, during the course of his career he turned to alcohol as a method to help him cope with the everyday stress of his job. Sound familiar? How many of us have, at one point or another, turned to something else besides the Lord Jesus for their strength to cope with life struggles? I know I have. In my own life I have often turned to food and pornography addictions as a means to escape the realities of life. It's here where I felt no criticism or condemnation from the outside world. In the midst of these addictions, I was free to indulge in something where my stress seemed like a million miles away. Which is exactly the reason most people indulge in these convenient crutches to escape reality. The problem with a crutch is that it all too often presents us with an entirely different set of problems. For me, my addictions left me with a steep hill to climb to get back to health as well as a distorted view of how the Father desired me to see His daughters among us. People may scoff and claim that what I have endured are not addictions at all, but choices. Well, at the end of the day, all addictions began with one choice. That choice to experiment with an illegal drug. That choice to look at a nude image of another person. No matter how you look at it, each addiction begins with one choice we make. But what if there was a far better choice for our life? What if there was someone in whom we could place all of our fears and stress? Well, there is indeed such a One who promises to take all which concerns us upon Himself. That One is Christ Jesus.
You, then, should not be worrying, saying, 'what may we be eating?' or 'what may we be drinking?' or 'with what may we be clothed?' For all these the nations are seeking. For aware is your heavenly Father that you need all these. Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness and these all shall be added to you. You should not, then, be worrying about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying of itself. Sufficient for the day is its own evil.
Matthews Account 6: 31-34, Concordant New Testament
There is indeed a reason that Jesus tells us not to worry {Matthews Account 6:25-34}. The signs and symptoms of worrying are well known to many people. These include, but are not limited to, immunity issues, added stress and lack of sleep just to name a few. I've personally experienced these symptoms of worry many times in my life. I believe that Jesus was is well aware of the effects of worry on our earthly bodies, and He shows us a better way. That is, casting our worries upon Him {Matthews Account 11:28-30}. By trusting in Jesus, we take away that added stress which our worries make us all too often feel. Can you imagine a life here on earth without stress? With Christ Jesus it is possible! Too many Christians get it twisted and see Jesus through the lens of mainstream church theology. That is, as a never present savior. All too often Jesus is seen as being seated with the Father in heaven, far removed from the troubles of our lives. Yet the reality of Jesus is something very different. The apostle Paul speaks to the reality of Christ Jesus in him in Galatians {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}. Paul knew that the man he once was, born into sin, was no longer alive. Having been put to death on that cross with Jesus, it was Christ who not only remained in Paul, but in us as well. Jesus is not some far off Savior who looks down upon us from a distance. On the contrary, the spirit of Christ Jesus lives within us and is very involved in our life. We live, in Him. Knowing this makes it that much easier to cast whatever worries we may be experiencing upon Him. The yoke which He offers us is not a heavy burden by any means. What we receive in return is a life free of worry and stress, knowing that Jesus has taken that upon Himself. Now that's a good choice!
~Scott~
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