(Advocate against cheating and of peaceful co-existence)
“Someone has sad that we all carry three loads in life: First, the Past, which is full of guilt, unhappy memories and neglected duties; second, the Present, which is filled with the worries and anxieties of everyday life; third, the future, which holds for us fear, terror and dreads.
“What are we to do about these Past, Present and Future worries? The Bible says that we are to cast them upon God. Our guilty Past, our anxious Present and the unknown Future are all to be cast upon Christ.
All of man’s burdens and anxieties are wrapped up in these three words: Past, Present and Future. For the guilt of the Past, God says: I have redeemed thee’ (Isaiah 44:22). ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3) ‘The Blood of Jesus Christ , his Son , cleanseth us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7).
Dump Your Distress
“For the Present, Christ, says: “I am with you always, even, unto the end of the world’ (Matthew 28: 20). That promise should be sufficient to remove all the anxiety of the Present. If the burden bearer is with us, then, why should we be crushed by our murder?
“The French translation of the phrase ‘Cast all your care upon him” is: “unload your distress upon God”. Have you ever seen a dump truck get rid of its load? It would be of no use if it carries its burden forever.
“The driver simply pushes a button or pulls on a lever and the heavy load is discharged at the prescribed spot”.
“We were never meant to be crushed under the weight of care. We push the button of Faith or pull the lever of Trust and our burden is discharged upon the shoulder of Him, who said, He would gladly bear it.
“Cast the anxious present upon Him, for He cares for you”, says the Bible. The worries of the future are obliterated by His promises:
“Take, therefore no thought for the morrow. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33).
“This promise, if we obey it, takes all the peevishness out of life and puts purpose into it. It brings all life into balance and earth’s hours become so joyous that they blend into the Glory of Eternity. Boredom, fretfulness and anxiety are lost in the wonder of His wonderful Grace.
What A Difference
“I ran across this prayer and it is one that we should pray: God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference”.
“Dean Eng once said, ‘worry is the interest paid on trouble before it comes due”. Let’s cast our cares on him, remembering that He is ‘Our salvation also in the time of trouble’ (Isaiah 33:2).
“Trust is the second answer to anxiety. We find in the first place, that we are to cast our cares upon the Lord and this is to be a continuing process. We are not only to take our burden to the Lord; we are to leave them there. Needless anxiety is contrary to the lessons of nature.
“Someone has written a little verse which goes:
‘Said the robin to the sparrow,
I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so’
Said the Sparrow to the robin:
“Friend, I think that it must be
That, they have no heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me”.
“Jesus used the carefree attitude of the birds to underscore the fact that worrying is unnatural. ‘Behold, the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedest them (Matthew 6:26).
From this example, He went on to the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that, even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these’ (Matthew 6: 28-29).
Work, not worry
“He did not say that we were not to be industrious, for the birds are very industrious. They arise early in the morning and go out to collect the provisions that God has supplied.
“The flowers flourish and are beautifully clothed, but their roots reach down deep to top the resources that God has put into the ground for their enrichment.
“The birds remind us that food should not be our chief concern and the lilies show us that worrying over appearance does not make us beautiful. And notice further that, He said: ‘The fowls of the air’ and ‘the lilies of the field’.
“Domestic fowls and flowers are protected by human hands, but wild ones are cared for by God Himself.
“Two conflicting forces cannot exist in one human heart. When doubt reigns, Faith cannot abide. Where hatred rules, love is crowded out. Where selfishness rules, there, love cannot dwell. When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.The very best prescription for banishing worry is found in Psalm 37: 5.
By
GODFRIED K. ARHIN-KUMI
