Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Worry”
Our Bible verse for today: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Worry is a waste of time.”
As I write this it is Monday morning and most of us are beginning a new week of work or school. What do you hope to accomplish this week? Do you have some goals and objectives you’re working on in terms of professional, educational, or personal self-development achievements? I’m not necessarily talking about major accomplishments either – just small steps of forward progress will be just fine.
Few things make us feel as good as making progress towards achieving a meaningful goal. And few things are as effective at chasing away worry as is achievement. But remember, achievement requires action. Wanting to do something is not the same as actually doing it. Positive change will occur not because of what you decide you want, but because of what you choose to do.
Worry is often rooted in inaction. Worry consists primarily of brooding about a problem and imagining all the terrible ways it might turn out. But when we involve ourselves in positive activity that moves us toward the accomplishment of a meaningful achievement, there’s much less room in our mind for worrisome thoughts. And if that meaningful activity also involves doing something about the thing we were worried about to begin with, the end result is even better.
In Matthew 6:27 Jesus asked a rhetorical question which was intentionally absurd. It was intended to illustrate the futility of worry. In the context of the larger passage, Jesus was teaching a lesson designed to motive His listeners to shift their focus from silly worries about unimportant things, and to instead be involved in the achievement of meaningful and worthwhile goals (seek first His kingdom and His righteousness …)
The bottom line? Worry is a waste of time. But making progress, even small steps of progress, towards meaningful goals is always helpful and it will go a long way towards chasing away worry. So let’s get busy accomplishing things that really matter.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 