May 15, 2000
GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE:
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
Luke 12:25
___By James McGlothlin
___Pastor, Lakeside Baptist Church, Dallas
___One of the more interesting questions Jesus asked is found in Luke 12:25: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" The answer is of course "None!"
___No one ever added to his lifespan by worrying. In that sense, worry is absolutely useless. It can also move beyond useless to
JAMES MCLOTHLIN
being counterproductive. Worry can kill you. Ever know anyone who "worried himself sick"?
___ Why is worry so potentially harmful? A clue is found in the word Jesus used. It literally means to divide, part, rip or tear apart. Isn't that the way you feel when you are really worried about something or someone?
___ Studies have suggested that a strategic key to living long and enjoying it is the elimination of worry. In other words, what is eating you may be even more important than what you eat.
___ How then should you handle your worry? I read about a man who proudly announced to his friend, "I have hired a man to do my worrying for me."
___ "That's incredible," said the friend, "how much does he charge?"
___ "A thousand dollars a week?"
___ "How can you ever afford that?"
___ "I don't know; it's his worry!"
___ That is one way to handle your worry, but the Bible can help us do better. Two simple keys help me. First, learn to live one day at a time. Jesus said, "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
___ There is something about a crisis or a difficulty that makes us want to solve every potential problem immediately. Tell me I have to take a test for cancer, and I may start planning my funeral! Tell me I may lose my job, and I will worry about paying for something that is five years down the road.
___ It is far better to learn to live one day at a time, get the most out of each moment and let tomorrow take care of itself.
___ The second key is even more important. Learn to seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). The promise is that when we seek God first and live in his way, he will meet our needs.
___ Do you want to overcome worry and anxiety? You can't do it by looking inwardly at yourself. You need someone bigger than you. You need to look outward and upward. Doing that keeps us from pity. It keeps us focused on the bigger picture.
___ For the believer, it is God to whom we must look and in whom we must trust. It is God who is bigger than we are and who has made us a fantastic promise.
___ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? None of us! But we just might add time to our lives by learning to live one day at a time and by always putting God first. Whether or not it adds time, it will most certainly add quality to our lives. Try it.
Previous Columns: 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 10/27, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1,12/15, 12/1,1/5, 1/12. 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1, 5/8
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