OUR CHRIST-CENTERED ADVENTURE MEANS SO MUCH MORE THAN WE THOUGHT
One of my concerns among many this past week was how to approach this series on discovering contentment the very week in which there was so much for me to worry about - which prompted me to do a little research on the difference between worry vs concern.
The contrast which struck me most was by that famous person “Anonymous” who said: “A worry is seeing just the problem, while a concern is seeking a solution to the problem”. Thus:
While my mind was set on staying “as contented as a cow chewing its cud”, my thoughts and prayers focused on complicated concerns - solutions to which were expertly implemented by professionals who had learned how to identify medical concerns, then apply their knowledge to the situation at hand.
At this point, my brain shifted into high gear: Suppose no cause is found and no treatment can be administered; or, suppose there is a diagnosis for which no cure exists, and only symptoms can be treated until the disease runs its course.
What then? It is this very necessity of having to adapt to whate’er befalls us - learning to live with it - that a concern becomes a burden. What do we do with burdens? “Take your burdens to the Lord in prayer, and leave them there.”
Paul’s admonition to the Philippians (4:6-7) speaks to our need to pray about everything: “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Shape your worries into prayers by letting God know your concerns. And before you know it, a sense of God’s peace, with everything working together for good, will settle you down. How wonderful it is when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life!” (Peterson, The Message)
To simply navigate a complicated life, a Christian must learn to be content whatever the circumstances. Only by making Christ the center of our lives can we experience contentment that is real. It’s part of becoming mature Christians!
Jesus taught what it means to be mature Christians in His mountainside discourse. In the segment recorded in Matthew 6, Jesus laid down principles to be lived by in the kingdom of God: He said that mature disciples do what they do for God’s glory not for public praise . . . give top priority to spiritual matters not material vanities . . . trust God, not greed, to meet personal needs – Matthew 6:25-34 . . .
“Therefore” indicates that what is about to be taught is to be considered in light of what has already been taught: “The kingdom of God is at hand” . . . “My kingdom is not of this world” . . . “In the world but not of the world” . . . Mountainside: “What it means to be Disciples in my kingdom” (those willing to accept the rule of God as manifested in Christ) . . .
Matthew 5 ended: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect!” Matthew 7 ended: “When Jesus had finished, the crowds were amazed because he taught as one with divine authority.” Matthew 6: Jesus referenced religious practices (giving, praying, fasting) and a practical necessity (making a living) to contrast those who accept the rule and reign of God vs those who do not.
“If you want to be mature disciples: practice your profession of faith not for the praise of man but for the Lord, provide needs for yourself - and for others - in ways that please God.”
“Therefore, since you do all that you do for God’s glory . . . you give Christ top priority in your life . . . you serve God not mammon (material wealth) --- Do not worry about your life! “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you!” That said, let me say:
Life is not always fair. Life is not always easy. Life is not a bed of roses. So, as we go about doing all we must do to survive and achieve a degree of satisfaction, Jesus comes along and challenges us to live simply and not worry ourselves to death. Now:
At our stage in life, rather than the usual focus of this passage on planning for the future, setting life goals, establishing priorities, achieving maturity - which we for the most part have already attained - suppose we view our Lord’s challenge from the perspective of what we have already discovered.
You are to be commended for having sought the LORD . . . found Jesus as Savior . . . crowned Him Lord of your life . . . lived a life that is true, striving to please Him in all that you do. Congratulations! You will be commended by the Lord himself: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
You discovered that, by making the right choices in life, you had no need to worry unnecessarily as the world does about all the things that must be provided to sustain life. You trusted God to provide.
Yet, you did your part! You did not buy into the notion that, in this passage, Jesus advocated a thoughtless attitude toward earning a living! You believed our Lord’s promise of God’s care. Thus, there was nothing to be gained by “freaking out” about what may or may not happen, in the sense that Mark Twain once described: “I’m an old man and I have known many problems in my life, most of which never happened.”
Through all of your ups and downs, you devoted yourself to God, country, family, tasks at hand – at home, on the job, in the community, in your church family which nurtured you and gave you opportunities to worship and serve the Lord with gladness.
God’s providential care made you aware of needs of others whom you had the privilege to get acquainted with . . . associate with . . . share not only material blessings but also spiritual insights and words of wisdom.
Our contentment in these twilight years is due to our discovery that the life we have lived and now live in Christ means so much more than we thought it would – precisely the point Jesus made when he spoke of “birds of the sky” and “flowers of the field”.
Obviously God takes care of them! How much more He cares for you and me who were created in His image! My (Our) backyard is a haven for birds, squirrels, chipmunks, deer and a variety of other creatures. God put it in the heart of the lady of the house to feed them.
God our Father lays it upon the hearts of caring folks to be His instruments of meeting the needs of nature’s creatures. How much more He is counting on us to minister to the “least of these” persons among us!
This lesson hit home one day this week while eating breakfast at a favorite diner. A lady came in and asked, who is the owner of a white Ford Taurus . . . She told me that the sound of a kitten in distress was coming from under my car.
After several folks suggested this or that method of rescuing the kitten, the concerned lady got some milk and crumbs from the diner and enticed the kitten to come out from its hiding place above the rear wheel.
Wondering what to do with the kitten, we thought of taking it to the humane society, but then a gentleman came up and said, “Please let me have her. We lost our cat three weeks ago and our little girl has cried her heart out ever since.”
As he cradled the little creature with bright blue eyes and yellowish gold fur, he said, “Let’s go to your new home.”
On my street that winds around the lake, a new sign has been posted - and it reads: “Geese Crossing”. Already there is a sign that reads, “Deer Crossing”.
Think about it: If creatures not made in the image of God are cared for by humans who were created in His image, how much more ought people of God care for “the least of these” persons - like yet another sign on my street reads, “Drive as if your child were playing here”!
Furthermore, to stretch the analogy further, if God gives such beauty to short-lived wild flowers, how much more ought we the crown of His creation trust God to care for His children!
Folks: We have learned to trust God to provide – if not in some way of our own, certainly in other ways. Mature Christians, therefore, can say with the Apostle Paul:
“I have learned in whatever circumstance I find myself, therein to be content.”
A Christ-centered life means so much more than we thought!
Floyd Hawkins, a Nazarene pastor, composed a gospel song which, for me, sums up the reason why so many mature Christians can remain content, although concerned, when crises swirl around us:
“Mankind was searching every day in quest of something new;
But I have found the living way, the path of pleasures true.
I’ve discovered the way of gladness, I’ve discovered the way of joy.
I’ve discovered relief from sadness, ‘Tis a happiness without alloy;
I’ve discovered the fount of blessing, I’ve discovered the Living Word; ‘
Twas the greatest of all discoveries when I found Jesus my Lord.”
Finally, folks: Having made the greatest of all discoveries, having made Jesus first in our lives, having had all things of necessity added to our overall well-being - Q: Why worry? Amen.
