by Pastor Bobby Schuller
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:7
Never has any society in human history had better living conditions, better health, better medicine, been more safe than American citizens today. And yet every study shows that there has never been a society more anxious and worried. What does that say about material possessions, filled silos, big bank accounts, and all of these things in relation to our ability to worry or not worry and our ability to be happy or unhappy? It says a lot. It says that maybe the things that we worry about aren't as big a deal as we think they are, and they're probably not going to happen.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:7
Never has any society in human history had better living conditions, better health, better medicine, been more safe than American citizens today. And yet every study shows that there has never been a society more anxious and worried. What does that say about material possessions, filled silos, big bank accounts, and all of these things in relation to our ability to worry or not worry and our ability to be happy or unhappy? It says a lot. It says that maybe the things that we worry about aren't as big a deal as we think they are, and they're probably not going to happen.
We should be focusing on a different reality.
We live in a culture that is training us to worry, and the people that are training you to worry benefit if you worry.
Every morning I get up and turn on the news. I usually listen to the news on the radio and usually in my car. Of course, I hear about all the kids that are being abducted, and the people that are being raped, and all of the violence that's going on in the world. And during a pleasant drive through the hills, all I hear about are all the fires, the earthquakes, and the threats. So the news agency benefits by having bad news. Do you see that? Bad news is good news for the news agency! They train us to be worried.
The Lord teaches the exact opposite: Don't worry. He's in control.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be in this world but not of this world. Help me to care about and help those in need while praising you for all the blessings you've bestowed upon us all. Amen.
Reflection: When you hear bad news, what is your first reaction? How can you care about those who are hurting while still living in the joy of the Lord?
We live in a culture that is training us to worry, and the people that are training you to worry benefit if you worry.
Every morning I get up and turn on the news. I usually listen to the news on the radio and usually in my car. Of course, I hear about all the kids that are being abducted, and the people that are being raped, and all of the violence that's going on in the world. And during a pleasant drive through the hills, all I hear about are all the fires, the earthquakes, and the threats. So the news agency benefits by having bad news. Do you see that? Bad news is good news for the news agency! They train us to be worried.
The Lord teaches the exact opposite: Don't worry. He's in control.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be in this world but not of this world. Help me to care about and help those in need while praising you for all the blessings you've bestowed upon us all. Amen.
Reflection: When you hear bad news, what is your first reaction? How can you care about those who are hurting while still living in the joy of the Lord?
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