Good Morning from Amoy!
When a friend or loved one is troubled, it is so easy to piously quote, "Be anxious for nothing," but when I'm facing a trial myself, I'd respond to that with,
"But Lord, this ain't nothing!" And certainly our Heavenly Father understands His children's doubts, fears, anxieties. After all, even Abraham, the man justified by faith, tried to shield himself from Pharaoh by lying about his wife and sending her straight to a harem! Most Biblical heroes, even those who saw Him face-to-face, had worries, despite Jesus' repeated admonitions to not worry--to "consider the lilies of the field, how they toil not, neither do they spin, yet not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these..." (Matthew 6:28, 29). Followed by the great promise of Matt. 6:33, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all these things [those things we worry about] shall be added to you."
Worry betrays our doubt that our Father can, or will, do anything about the issues facing us. But according to Lloyd John Ogilvie, worry is not only a lack of faith but also a "low-grade fever of agnosticism!" (in Ogilvie's 1980s devotional "God's Best For Our Life."--a powerful book with a cut-to-the quick sermon each day).
I can do no better than to simply quote part of that day's devotional, and trust you are as encouraged by it as I was (God's Best, by the way, has as a Kindle version, which unfortunately is a bit abridged, but still excellent).
Excerpt from Lloyd John Ogilvie's "God's Best for my Life," (1980)
August 12, Strangling the Soul
"I say to you, do not worry about your life". (Matthew6:25)
"Worry is thinking turned toxic, the imagination picturing the worst. The word worry comes from the root “to choke or strangle.” Worry does choke and strangle our creative capacity to think, hope, and dream. It twists the joy out of life. Worry changes nothing except the worrier. It becomes a habit. At the core, it is a low-grade fever of agnosticism. When we worry, we express a lurking form of doubt that God either knows, cares, or is able to do anything. It is a form of loneliness—facing eventualities by ourselves on our meager strength."
Bill Brown
Xiamen University
www.amoymagic.com
When a friend or loved one is troubled, it is so easy to piously quote, "Be anxious for nothing," but when I'm facing a trial myself, I'd respond to that with,
Worry betrays our doubt that our Father can, or will, do anything about the issues facing us. But according to Lloyd John Ogilvie, worry is not only a lack of faith but also a "low-grade fever of agnosticism!" (in Ogilvie's 1980s devotional "God's Best For Our Life."--a powerful book with a cut-to-the quick sermon each day).
I can do no better than to simply quote part of that day's devotional, and trust you are as encouraged by it as I was (God's Best, by the way, has as a Kindle version, which unfortunately is a bit abridged, but still excellent).
Excerpt from Lloyd John Ogilvie's "God's Best for my Life," (1980)
August 12, Strangling the Soul
"I say to you, do not worry about your life". (Matthew6:25)
"Worry is thinking turned toxic, the imagination picturing the worst. The word worry comes from the root “to choke or strangle.” Worry does choke and strangle our creative capacity to think, hope, and dream. It twists the joy out of life. Worry changes nothing except the worrier. It becomes a habit. At the core, it is a low-grade fever of agnosticism. When we worry, we express a lurking form of doubt that God either knows, cares, or is able to do anything. It is a form of loneliness—facing eventualities by ourselves on our meager strength."
Dr Bill's Amazon eBooks
"Discover Xiamen" $2.99
"Fujian Adventure" $1.99Bill BrownXiamen University
www.amoymagic.com
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