Worldly Cares
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“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:25-36 (New Living Translation)
I want to believe when I read this. I want to believe so badly. But my faith falters. How can the Bible say these things when people are starving to death all over the world? Innocent people, innocent babies and children. Where is God for them? I’m not being sarcstic, I just want to understand. I have to understand this to restore my faith.
Thanks.
What do you think, Kent? I too sometimes lose my patience when I hear, see, or am part of injustice. This is a big obstacle for me to overcome (and I am sure many others) in the quest to increase my faith, though I don’t doubt there is a God.
Hi James and Sheryl – First off you know I am not a theologen, but just a layperson just like everyone else.
I believe that there is a great controversy going on between God and Satan or Lucifer the falllen angel. In our society and among most Christians God is blamed for everything that goes wrong on earth. I believe that God holds back Satan from the true distruction he would heap on us if God allowed it. So yes things happend that we don’t understand. Like why children starve are abused and are killed. This is because of sin which is the result of the human race choosing to initially follow Satan back in the garden of Eden.
We know that Christ came and died for us so that we may have the oportunity to have eternal life with him.
These are just my thoughts and you are welcome to agree or disagree. God Bless!
I know its hard when innocent people die in the world and there is injustice, but I still believe there is a great and merciful God who is slow to anger an swift to bless. If we recall the Isrealites whom God loved more than anything else (Their Blessing in Deutoronomy 28 shows us a little) yet they also went through a lot of pain; 400 years of slavery, 70 years in captivity, not to mention the holocaust in our era. Yet he still sent his only son to die for their sins as well as ours. With all this we know and just know by faith that God can be trusted, because without faith its impossible to please him and we can only come to him believing that he is.
His word also tells us that if we that are humans with evil tendencies know how to give each other good gifts how much more out heavenly father. So if we know how we feel when the innocent die and how it hurts us, can we imagine how much more it hurts our ever loving heavenly father? The bible does actually tell us that when the righteous die it is because God is keeping them from a much worst faith that would be that much more unbearable.
Also the bible tells us in Isaiah 55:8-13 that “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat. In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.” Indeed you will go out with joy; you will be led along in peace; the mountains and hills will give a joyful shout before you, and all the trees in the field will clap their hands. Evergreens will grow in place of thorn bushes, firs will grow in place of nettles; they will be a monument to the Lord, a permanent reminder that will remain.
Finally, Be confident in the hope that you have, because this our God can be trusted.
I think this scripture brings hope more than anything. It reminds me God has a glorious plan for all of us, tells me not to worry and to press into him even more. It also reminds me that I will never fully understand why God does what he does, and how big his plans are. Glory.
Sheryl, I agree with you–the past couple of months I have seen death, illness, accidents. And I really believe what Kent says is true, that it is Satan who brings so much pain and suffering to so many. I think this reading is talking about having faith in God and to continue to believe in him.
The book, Mere Christianity, by CL Lewis helped answer these questions for me. Its a wonderful book in that it is very simplistic in the understanding of God and Christianity. It may not answer your questions directly, but it should help you understand the whole picture and how we fit into it. Its also one that reads like a novel, where you dont want to put it down. It helped encourage me in my faith, and helped me understand more completely about what Ken says and why it is true.
I have neighbors who are VERY faithful, however they worry a lot about money. The struggle because the husband works and the wife is a stay at home mom. Good for them for making that choice, however I see them worry so much I wonder if it’s worth it. They also tithe to their church before paying their bills, which they are behind. I always wonder what God thinks about that. I understand their faith but does God want them to be in that kind of situation?
I too try to be faithful and believe that Jesus is my Savior but have A LOT of questions.
Hello James and Sherly i just want to add to what Kent said, these things happen because you and i let them happen. It is the devil or the devilish ways in us that lets these things happen. One thing God gave us was the ability to chose what we do but in the same instance he gave us law, “if you abide in me and my word abides in you” if we keep his comandments to love our brothers as we do ourselves would we let people starve or killing to continue.
But we also need to remember that the devil has followers who do his bidding and they creat chaos and things like the de vinci code, to make us belive Jesus didnt walk on earth.
Somethings we can never understand, his thoughts are not our thoughts, his way’s not ours.
The Word of God is TRUTH! His Spirit gives Us a Spirit of Understanding. His WORDS
are The Way to Life, in Abundance. If We Follow Him, We will have the Ears to Hear,
the Eyes to See and the Wisdom to CHOOSE > Good/GOD Over Satan/Evil!
We become His Disciples, to His Glory, to SERVE our fellow man. We are His Hands, Arms, Legs; Feeding the poor, Sheltering the homeless, Encouraging the hopeless,
with our Actions and Prayers.
Mother Teresa was a beautiful example of GOD’S LOVE for the Needy. She, as countless
Others, was, as a Single Voice crying in this Vast Wilderness of Humanity!
If Each of Us, Who have been Graced by God, to Follow Jesus’ Witness, to Reach Out
to our brothers, in our little corner of The World . . . Needs would be met and
Souls would be Saved!
Ask Not What God Can Do for You but What You Can Do for Your GOD? In HIS Love ~
Sheryl,
There are so many answers to your question. Faith is the evidence of things not seen but things hoped for. God has supplied on this earth his belivers. To do what? To pray, intercede, help, and sacrafice ourselves for him first and then others. Do you have your own troubles, that are unique? Well of course we do and God says, cast your cares upon me. God says, trust & believe in my name and I shall supply. We all have a cross to carry Sheryl. He said anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me (Matthew10:38). So what am I saying? I am saying that we can do can do something about it(the problems in this world). I’m saying that through him all things are possible. The word “through” represents that there is something required of us. And with Gods help nothing is impossible for us. We are to move through him. I’m saying that the hungry ones too have a burden and also a cross to carry. He will shine before them. Because his word say’s he will shine before all men. He is already with them. God is trying to open up our eyes. So that we can stop thinking of ourselves and our own needs and start focusing on others. The enemy has you mad at the worng one. You see you need to take that passion and cry out to God, intercede, & pray the burden that GOD has put in your heart. I will be praying for you Sheryl, because without God you too will hunger and thirst. Without God you will die. I pray right now for you that God will soften your heart. And open your eyes to the truth that has already been planted in your heart. I pray you will not lean on your own understanding of him and remember Gods ways are higher than our ways.
God just delivered me from a severe crisis in which there was no way out. Not only did He bring me out of it, He blessed me even more than I could have asked. I continually prayed and hopedthat he would bless me. I used to be a big worrier and through prayer and faith I worry much less now. I noticed through this crisis that I slept every night and although I was concerned and active in trying to get out of the situation, I wasn’t as worried and stressed out as before. I am striving to be worry-free, but I realize that won’t happen without more trials.
I have a friend who is basically another Job and doesn’t deserve all the calamaties that she has suffered one on top of another recently. I don’t understand any of it, but it puts me in a position to care. I pray for her constantly and try to stay in touch and help her just by being a friend. Although I don’t have answers for why she has to suffer so, I have a responsibility as a human being and a child of God to help ease her pain by prayer and concern. What I am trying to say is that we live in an evil world. If we lived in a perfect world, there would be no need to help one another or pray for one another. When you see someone in need, even if it is just a spiritualneed, please encourage them in faith, because you never know. It could be that one call, that one thing you say, “just keep holding on,” that could keep someone from abandoning their faith. Trust me. I know.
God’s blessings to all. I have heard the argument so many times about the starving and dying children, and there has been this problem since Christ was on the earth and before. It has been there ever since sin entered the world. These statments reveal how important it is to fully study and comprehend the bible. We have to trust what the bible says as the inspired, infallable word of of God. 2Timothy3:16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. John 1-7 states the Word was God and dwelt among us. The word is still here for us however, because of the language and difficulty understanding the bible a bible study is needed regularly so we can help people to know what it says. 2Timothy3:16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. If we read it daily the Holy spirit will help bring it to our remembrance and give us discernment. 2Timothy2:15 says Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This is where I see the problem is that people don’t really understand how important the word has said we MUST read, pray, study and fellowship As we read and learn and ultimatly begin to understand even one of the most difficult of the books Revelations- to reveal. We do begin to understand suffering, the progression of evil in the world and where we are headed to fulfill God’s prophecy timetable and return that only He knows. The disciples asked Jesus what will be the sign of his coming and the end of the world and Jesus answered them in Mathew 24:4-36 and there is so much more. Please take time out to read and study and help others answer the question about the starving children.
Deb
Hello Sheryl,
I’m aaron from Malaysia.
Firstly to your question, we are not to figure God out, in which way He shall provide, we must first place our faith on Him believing (without a shadow of doubt) that He will fulfil His promises.
I believe that the sufferings of the world is allowed by God so that people in need would draw near to Him, as the bible says “draw near to Me and I shall draw near to you”. It’s just too common for people to seek God only in times when they need something.
For anyone to understand and apply this verse in their lives, they must know our ever-loving God, for His promise says “I shall not leave you nor forsake you”. Without knowing Him, it’ll be difficult to place your faith in Him. Then as we start to grow and have faith in Him, there’ll be no more need to question God so much because our ways are not His ways.
God is ever loving, He will definitely not leave a person seeking Him in vain, but suffering is the due consequence of the fallen world. God hates sin.
God shall supply to people who has faith in Him, even to those who has just started to have faith in Him. There are many ways that He can do that. He may send a donor, He may send a missionary, He may send a crusade even, or maybe sometimes, He would give instructions to certain individuals that He has selected to buy some food and give to the needy. Honestly speaking, there’re a million and one ways He could do just that, therefore, questioning God is not a wise thing to do at all.
That’s why, i believe that our God does not show Himself into spectacular media-worthy attention because He is grooming us for His coming Kingdom, to have faith in Him. This verse is very difficult to accept, especially if one is a young believer. We must breath God in every breathe that we take to see how wonderful are His creations, feed on His Word to grow in the truth and lead a prayerful lifestyle to have a personal relationship with Him.
These may not be the best answer, but i hope it helps. God bless u all…
I sit and i wonder..do i respond.?
How can i as an american that has not everything but i do have a home and a car and so much in comparisin to the people that sheryl refers to have any real insight.
I come from a background that would take countless words to lay it all out in this blog, so i won’t. However i can try to share from the insight gained from ny background. God is in control, but, mankind has been given the helm. Creation exists with a timeline in place that is largely dictated by man and mans morality. We will ultimately run out of time and Gods willingness to allow our decline to continue, but as of yet we have not run out yet.
i recently taught this to our congregation maybe it will help here.
God allowed Jesus to arrive in an exact moment. We as mankind would have sent Him sooner because we want everything fixed now, and if Jesus is the answer then send Him “now.” God however knew to send Him “then.” At the exact moment that would allow man to be reconciled unto the Kingdom of Heaven. Then if we follow Matthew 13 we see a progressional description of Jesus’s ministry. From the sowing, to the allowance for “Both” the “good” and the “bad” to be given time to sort themselves out. Then the uncontrollable spreading of the good news, to the leaven. Leaven is used as a type here for good but historically leaven shadows corruption not redemption. So using leaven as the type that it is in the bible we once again see a contrast of “good (the mustard seed growth) to “bad” ( the leaven). Ultimately at the end of these parables we get a picture of Revelation or Judgement day.
Once again God is in control but we as mankind are unfortunately still driving the planet and thus we as a whole are corrupt. But forgiven and righteous by the timeliness grace of God in the person of Christ. I will close with this, I recently heard our condition described by T D Jakes better than i have ever heard it described before. He said there is a little bit of Jason in me (from friday the thirteenth horror movies) nad there is that person that God created me to be in there right along side.
Isaiah 1:16-18 Sheryl. God lays it out in 16 we are instructed to repent. In 17 he tells us to learn to do well by being his love in somebody elses life. And then in 18 he says that because of our obedience to the prior to scriptures that we can “reason” with God Himself.
Allow Gods broken heart for these peoples lifes conditions to spark a difference in the world through you. You be the one Sheryl find a way to begin to pray and support Gods broken world somehow, someway.
Wow i’m long winded. Hope this helps.
dear Sheryl..countless numbers of us have asked the same questions…you are so not alone in your doubts..consider it joy..Satan thinks you are worthy of temptation…this is what makes you stronger…what breaks the hearts of humans…the ones I think of the most are children who starve and suffer, unjustice of war and all you spoke of…these are things we simply cannot understand…Gods ways are not ours…His understanding is not ours…he simply asks us to trust Him and to believe that He knows what He is doing…have faith…seeing pain and wrongful death is a huge bonder of people…when we see these attrosities we have a tendency to work together to change these things…we put together many charities and missions and many people become missionaries just for these causes.. and in so doing a great multitude is being raised for the gookness of mankind and the glory of God..one by one we are building the army of God…His plan is working…but in ways that we cannot possibly grasp…our hearts are good and what better way to exercise that than by becoming a warrior for God and stamping out the very horrible things that God has allowed Satan to do…this is our calling …are you ready to do something about your questions…if you can’t do physical things than donate to a charity who is…help bring food to the starving….see…by doing for God (dealing with the problems He has provided) we, as christians become stronger and stronger….isn’t this what His plan may be…I don’t know His plans…only that is says in the Bible…Love your God with your whole heart, mind and soul..and Love your neighbor as yourself…that really says it all…God bless you…walk with our God..Jo
Friends,
I want to thank each of you who took the time to respond and share your very heartfelt thoughts. I believe God had something to say to me in each of your answers and I truly appreciate the wisdom, prayers and blessings you have shared.
I have been a lifelong believer, but I know that the older I get the more I seem to question the Lord, rather than finding peace in God. I know this is probably largely my own fault. Although I attended a Christian school growing up and regularly attended church, I only go about once a month now and spend little time reading my Bible. I pray daily, but sometimes I refrain, thinking, “Why would God even consider my prayers when I question Him so? He deserves to hear prayers from a true follower.” By that, I mean that He deserves someone who gives Him the unconditional trust He should have, as our Creator and Master. He deserves praise, and in my lack of faith I have a hard time doing even that.
I do continue to pray that God will reveal Himself to me and that I will SEEK and be OPEN to that revelation. I know it starts with me.
Again, thank you for the wisdom and prayers you have shared. God Bless you all.
Sheryl