Thanks Dan!
This is an excerpt I took from my reading of the book “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. Really challenging yet at the same time encouraging stuff.
Rejoice in the lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Phil. 4:4
“You’ll notice that it doesn’t end with “…unless you’re doing something extremely important.” No, it’s a command for all of us, and it follows with the charge, “do not be anxious about anything.” (v. 6)
That came a pretty staggering realization. But what I realized next was even more staggering.
When I am consumed by my problems–stressed out about my life, my family, and my job–I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a “right” to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities
Worry implies that we dont quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of whats happening in our lives.
Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.
Basically, these two behaviors communicate that its ok to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare out tendency to forget that we’ve been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we wont be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God’s strength, our problems are small, indeed.”
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