Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. John 14:1

The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is over, so I expected things to calm down and mellow out in my life. Well, it’s late January when I am writing this and that hasn’t happened yet! Do you ever toss and turn at night like I do with too many things running through your head?  There’s family and work commitments, as well as all of those “extra-curricular” things going on like church, scouts, friends, various committees, volunteer work, and so much more.  It’s too much for any of us! Everywhere you turn there is helpful advice on how to manage all of this…just look at most magazines, many books, and lots of talk-show topics. But the Bible is very clear on this issue: We can only have true peace through Jesus. He needs to be number one on our “to-do list” each and every day.  

I think we can all agree that we need to down-size and stop over-extending ourselves. But even in the face of too many responsibilities we can have peace in our lives. The solution to our anxieties is so clear, but in our humanness, we continue to forget the important truth. Jesus died for us. He was blameless, but He took every single one of our sins upon Himself and washed them away with His blood on the cross. Whenever we think about that awesome truth it can help us to keep everything else, especially our earthly responsibilities, in perspective.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the most awesome and amazing gift of dying on the cross for me. I know that I don’t deserve Your grace and forgiveness, but You give it to me anyway. Help me to keep my life in perspective by keeping you at the center. I know that true peace is only possible through You. Thank you. Amen

Chris Boden (reprinted from the 2008 Eastridge Daily Devotion book, originally shared as a February devotion!)