Strength Equal To The Day – Crushing The Sin Of Anxiety

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Each Sunday, I try to post a devotional thought for you to meditate on. Sometimes it will be something out of my own studies and prayers. Other times – like today – it will be from another source.

Today, I am posting an encouragement and warning about worry and anxiety concerning the future by Theodore Cuyler, courtesy of Grace Gems:

(Theodore Cuyler, “Beulah-Land” or, Words of Cheer for Christian Pilgrims)

Matthew 6:34

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

Faith does not shed tears over sorrows which may never come. God never made a Christian strong enough to stand the strain of today’s duties–and all the load of tomorrow’s anxieties piled upon the top of them.

The apostle Paul himself would have broken down, if he had attempted the foolish experiment. We have a right to ask our Heavenly Father for strength equal to the day–but we have no right to ask him for one extra ounce of strength beyond it!

Faith . . .
carries present loads,
meets present battles,
feeds on present promises, and
commits the future to a faithful God!

We should not penetrate into the secrets which tomorrow hides–if we could. It is far better to know Whom we trust, and that He is able to keep all that we commit to Him, until the last great day.

We cannot live on yesterday’s meals. As the children of Israel gathered fresh manna every morning–so must we look upward for a fresh supply of heavenly rations for the day’s march. The secret of happy days is not in our outward circumstances–but in our own heart life.

A large draught of Bible taken every morning, a throwing open of the soul’s windows to the precious promises of the Master, a few words of fervent prayer, a deed or two of kindness to the first person you meet–will brighten your countenance and make your feet “like hinds feet” for the day’s march.

“As your days–so shall your strength be.” Deuteronomy 33:25

The True Remedy For Anxiety! – Devotion

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Each Sunday, I try to post a devotional thought for you to meditate on. Sometimes it will be something out of my own studies and prayers. Other times – like today – it will be from another source.

Today, I am posting a great thought  from James Smith reminding us that God’s love and care should eliminate all anxiety, courtesy of Grace Gems:

(James Smith, “The True Remedy!” 1856)

Another soul-disorder is anxious care. Worry or anxiety is prohibited by the gospel, because it is injurious to us, and reflects badly upon the care and kindness of God. Yet we, like Martha–are anxious and troubled about many things. We lose sight of the fact that God is our Father, and as such, He is engaged to provide for us. We forget that . . .
we are in our Father’s world,
we are living under our Father’s eye,
we are fed by our Father’s hand, and
our interests lie near our Father’s heart!

The true remedy for anxious care is to realize daily, and every hour of every day . . .
that the Lord cares for us,
that He knows where we are, and what we are,
that He has fixed the bounds of our habitation,
that His feeding the sparrows, is a proof that He will never neglect His children.

Anxiety! As a believer in Jesus, as a child of God–about what should I be anxious?

God is my Father, and He loves me–loves me just as He loves Jesus!

He cares for me–cares for me as much as He cared for the apostle Paul.

He watches over me, as a tender mother watches over her precious infant!

He keeps me–keeps me as the apple of His eye; and lest anything should hurt me, He will keep me night and day. He bids me cast every care upon Him. He exhorts me not to worry about anything–but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to let my requests be made known unto Him.

This is the true remedy for anxious care:
to live in close and intimate fellowship with God, and cast all my cares upon Him as they come in;
to live realizing the fact, that I am the object of the constant, tender, loving care of God–that my God cares for me, for my best interests, for my everlasting welfare!

Yes, this is the only true remedy!

Little Single Days (Dealing With Anxiety As A Believer) – Devotion

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Each Sunday, I try to post a devotional thought for you to meditate on. Sometimes it will be something out of my own studies and prayers. Other times – like today – it will be from another source.

Today, I am posting a great thought  from J.R. Miller about believers and anxiety, courtesy of Grace Gems:

Anxiety

(J.R. Miller, “Daily Bible Readings in the Life of Christ” 1890)

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own!” Matthew 6:34

One reason which our Lord gives against anxiety for the future, is that we have nothing to do with the future. God gives us life by days—little single days. Each day has . . .
its own duties,
its own needs,
its own trials and temptations,
its own griefs and sorrows.

God always gives us strength enough for the day. But if we insist on dragging in tomorrow’s cares and piling them on top of today’s cares–our strength will not be enough for the load. God will not give additional strength–just to humor our whims of worry and distrust.

So the lesson is, that we should keep each day distinct–and attend strictly to what it brings to us. Charles Kingsley says: “Do today’s duty, fight today’s temptation–and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking ahead to things which you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them.” We really have nothing at all to do with the future–except to prepare for it, by doing the duties of today with fidelity.

No one was ever crushed by the burdens of one day. We can always get along with our heaviest load–until the sun goes down. Well, that is all we ever have to do. Tomorrow? Oh, you may have no tomorrow; you may be in Heaven. If you are here–God will be here too, and you will receive new strength sufficient for the new day.

“As your days–so shall your strength be!” Deuteronomy 33:25