I am traveling with my brothers in Christ to the Shepherd's Conference in Los Angeles. This annual pilgrimage to Southern California is always a delightful time. I am treated with the opportunity to spend time my brothers and to meet many new people.
Each year the trip has its own unique stories. Late flights, snow filled roads and bad Chinese restaurants always find their way into the lore of THE trip. This is not to mention the trials on the home front whether it be sick children or work issues and other things that make the trip memorable.
This year, during the plane ride out, there was a gentleman in the seat in front of me who carried a small idol in his hand. He rubbed little statue for all it was worth (which was not much) from take-off to landing. The scene of this old man rubbing his little trinket made me reflect on the nature of fear and worry. We all struggle with these sins at times. We may not keep a little idol to pray to or rub when we are fearful but we have our own idols that we look to in times of need.
Worry and fear are evil twins and the father of these two horrible and ugly siblings is sinful pride! They look pretty on the outside but they are rotten to the core. In our sinfulness, we pridefully trust in ourselves instead of trusting in the one true God. Whether the vehicle of our trust is our abilities, our wealth, our looks or our status in society; the result is all the same. These things will ultimately fail and inevitably cause us to sink into sinful worry and anxiety which can lead to a variety of other sins! This paints a stark picture for us!
In America, we are taught to trust ourselves! Trust in oneself is the "American Way"! We celebrate our independent spirit. We use phrases such as, "He is a self-made man!" But...does God intend it to be this way? The answer is a resounding "NO!" God created us to be dependent. He literally created us to be dependent on Him, yet we trust in ourselves. He created us to have an intimate relationship with Him, our Creator, yet we choose to hide from Him in the thorny weeds of our sin. Scripture tells us that it all went horribly wrong in the Garden of Eden. After sinning against the Lord, Adam and Eve hid from Him and we have been hiding since then. We hide from Him even though He is our constant help!
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus admonished His listeners not to worry. He said, " ...do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own". (Matthew 6:34 NASB). Just prior to this verse, our Lord used the Father's care for the lowly things of Earth such as birds and the lilies of the field arguing that He if He cares for those things how much more so for man the jewel of His created work! Jesus teaches that the Father cares for us and will never forsake us!
It is a certainty that we live in a fallen and dangerous world and our tendency is to pridefully trust in ourselves and our own abilities. If you have not repented of your sins, there is no other way but to trust in yourself. If you find yourself in this position, repent and turn to Christ and He will take your burden!
Even those who have repented and placed their trust in Him can forget that our Creator has provided the door of opportunity to know Him through His Son. In knowing Him, we find that we can trust and depend upon Him. The cross of Christ provides for our greatest needs the way of salvation and an intimate relationship with our Creator which allows us to cast our cares upon Him and never be disappointed!
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from The Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. (Psalms 121:1-3 NASB)
Brandon
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