Psalm 66

Isn't it amazing how God chooses to reveal himself to us. Man, today was just a good day!

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praises glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are Your works!"

Psalm 66:1-3

Worry

Worry.
Who doesn't worry every now and then? Right?

God has really been showing me that He is sick of my worry. What is all of my worrying accomplishing? How is it increasing my witness for Christ?

Simple answer-- It isn't.

I really knew that God was trying to get my attention when I came across Philippians 4 today.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

Sometimes I feel like the trials and pressures in life make it impossible to be happy, but Paul didn't tell us to be happy. He encouraged us to rejoice in the Lord. Its importance is evidenced when Paul chose to use it twice in verse 4. Paul was an excellent example of one who had inner joy even when external circumstances such as persecution, imprisonment, and the threat of death were against him.

When Paul says, "be anxious for nothing, " he is not implying a call to live a carefree life. To care and be genuinely concerned is one thing. To worry is another.

Then I flipped over to Matthew 6:25-33 (sidenote: study bibles are awesome) and read where Jesus warns against worry because it obviously eliminates trust in God.

Sometimes I have to be reminded that God is my ultimate provider and He wants to guide me through life's trials.

I have a feeling that my "worry problem" will go away, if I'm willling to surrender control to Him daily.

That is my prayer today.

Heaven

Lately, I've had Heaven on my mind a lot. I try to imagine what its going to be like in Heaven. I am excited to see people I've lost in this life-- to meet people I've only read about in the Bible.

I'm ready to leave all of the hate and suffering of this world. I'm ready to be free of fleshly desires. I'm ready to devote every ounce of energy to praising God.

My problem is that when I think about Heaven, I feel selfish. Since I'm still here, I know that God still has a plan to use me to reach people for Christ. Am I being effective in that calling? How many people do I come in contact with that I know are not headed to Heaven if they died?

What right do I have to long for Heaven when so many people are still heading for Hell?

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

-John 14:1-6