We live in a World today which dreams of being carefree. The teenagers dream of success in Hollywood to be carefree financially and have notoriety, and popularity. Married couples with children desire to have a month of carefree, trying to make ends meet, trying to keep the family together. Couples looking to retirement are looking for carefree living when they retire and to live out their life in paradise, or having no cares in this world. But when you get right down to it, we all have burdens to bear, whether it is finances, sickness, family problems, or whatever, we all have something that we are having to fret over. But yet society pushes the thinking of being carefree and not really caring about anything except what matters to each individual.
Truly living a Carefree life.
1Pe 5:5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1. Some Are Care (less) Zep 2:15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. Nineveh, was rejoicing so much of her strength and prosperity. They were living to self and what they had done. Careless living.
"Man, God just has to lighten up a bit," said James P. Rowell from Chicago, who makes the annual trip to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. "So the whole town gets blind drunk, strangers [do unthinkable things together] in the streets, underage girls flash their bodies, and the whole town ends up in a sinful, wild, sleazy party -- not like this is Sodom and Gomorrah, or anything. After all this town has went through, you’d think that God would give ’em a [give them slack] this time around."
"As for me," he added, "I plan on laying [meeting every girl [I can}, but I’ll definitely be out of the city well before hurricane season kicks in."
That is a description of careless living. Living unto yourself, thinking about the fun for me and me only.
a. There are many careless people in today’s world. Their lives are in jeopardy – physically and spiritually.
b. Accidents are caused by carelessness. Financial loss is sustained and lives are lost through careless living.
c. Many are careless about spiritual things. They fail to accept Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. Christians often neglect their prayer life, church attendance, and service to God.
Dictionaries definition of carelessness.
1. Taking insufficient care; negligent:
2. Marked by or resulting from lack of forethought or thoroughness:
3. Showing a lack of consideration: a careless remark.
4. Unconcerned or indifferent; heedless: careless of the consequences.
5. Unstudied or effortless:
While some are careless there are some that are careful
2. Some are Care (ful) Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
a. Millions are weighed down with the burden of sin. This load seems too heavy for them to bear.
b. Barnes - Be careful for nothing. That is, be not anxious or solicitous about the things of the present life. There is to be such confidence in God as to free the mind from anxiety, and such a sense of dependence on him as to keep it calm.
c. Jesus came to take away our sins. We can be set free from the bondage and burden of sin by exercising repentance and faith.
d. Many Christians are filled with care and anxiety. They struggle through life, trying to carry their own burdens and the responsibilities of others.
e. God wants to relieve us of all of our cares and worries in our life. He tells us in 1Peter 5:7 to cast all your burdens upon him. Not just a partial, not just half, not all but a little bit…he said cast ALL….A L L your cares upon him. If you watch children sometimes…carry big loads, (groceries or whatever) they will say…go ahead give it here I can handle it, even though they are buried under the load. God wants us to throw all our burdens on him.
While some in today’s world live very careless, and others live very careful, we can have a carefree life in Jesus
3. Some Are Care (free) Galation 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
a. Many people are still in bondage, but this is displeasing to God. It is his will for all his Children to be free.
Again - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
The Greek understanding of anxiety was to have a divided mind or to have anxious interest. The concept of a divided mind is to lose focus or to attempt to focus on too many things.
Have you ever seen anyone playing some sport, and they start messing up, whether it be basketball, baseball, whatever and you start to notice as in basketball….they step to the foul line and the crowd get noisy if they are on the opposing team, and if they are on the home team it gets quite. It to let them concentrate and note lose focus on what they are doing.
Webster defines anxiety as a painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind usually over an anticipated or impending situation or a strong fearful concern
David Dewitt - The average person’s anxiety is about…
40% on things that will never happen
30% on things that have happened in the past and cannot be changed
12% on criticism of others that are usually untrue
8% on real problems that will have to be faced
George Mueller - The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety
According to the American Institute of Stress, stress has been described as the #1 Health Problem in America. quoting, "The stress response of the body is somewhat like an airplane readying for take-off. Virtually, all systems (the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs, and brain) are modified to meet the perceived danger."
Our body does not know the difference between an actual threat and a perceived threat. Our body only knows how to react to what the brain tells it. The more you worry the more you have anxiety and stress.
b. Total commitment to God liberates us from bondage to self. Total focus on God gets rid of the devil anxiety. Total focus on God gives us a new carefree in God attitude.
c. The way to keep the focus off of ourselves and on God is, Helping the less fortunate, visiting the sick, comforting the bereaved, and sharing Christ with the unsaved brings freedom from self-centeredness.
d. Simple trusting faith—just taking Christ at his word—brings freedom. Only Christ can enable us to cope with care. Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
e. Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
f. Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
g. Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
h. Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed
You can have a carefree life living for God. There are always going to be concerns or things in our lives which we may be concerned about.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
Worry pulls tomorrow’s clouds over today’s sunshine – Charles R. Swindoll
Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow – Swedish Proverb
Anxiety does nothing of benefit for our lives and in fact it is detrimental to our lives. Anxiety steals our joy. Anxiety steals our contentment. Anxiety steals our confidence. Anxiety steals our ability to trust God
Do you really trust God when life gets anxious?
Peter says to cast all of our anxiety on God. Literally this means that we are to throw every care and every concern that we have to God. You can throw it all to God because He is always ready to receive.
Do you really trust God when life gets anxious?
Acc - Whatever things concern a follower of God, whether they be spiritual or temporal, or whether in themselves great or small, God concerns himself with them; what affects them affects him;
Ps 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Barnes - we are to commit our whole cause to him. If we suffer heavy trials; if we lose our friends, health, or property; if we have arduous and responsible duties to perform; if we feel that we have no strength, and are in danger of being crushed by what is laid upon us, we may go and cast all upon the Lord; that is, we may look to him for grace and strength
Are you truly casting all your burdens on Jesus….or is there things that keep coming to mind in which you worry about?
I don’t worry about tomorrow because I know who holds tomorrow?
How about trying to live a Carefree life in God!
