Worry or faith: How will you amaze Jesus today?

Inflation, personal finances, sickness, troubled relationships, politics, Putin, Gaza, peace treaties — and the list goes on. Hey, what’s to worry about? Plenty. And if we’re not on our guard, worry can consume us.

Jesus had a lot to say about worry, and what he said was simple: don’t do it. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, Jesus said, “Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?... Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”

Jesus was clearly saying, “I’ve got your back.” A wise person once said, “Worry is making a payment on a bill that you haven’t received yet and may never get.” So why do so many of us sit down and write a check for a bill that may never come?

Some of us try to soften the term and say, “I’m not really worrying, I’m just very concerned.” But here’s the difference between worry and concern: worry paralyzes; concern mobilizes. That’s the litmus test of how we’re handling life’s challenges. Are we taking steps to resolve the problem, or are we mentally rehearsing every bad outcome that could happen? Paralyzed or mobilized — the choice is ours.

“Can any of you add one moment to his life by worrying?” Jesus asked. The answer, of course, is no. Scripture records times when Jesus was amazed at people’s faith. When his hometown of Nazareth rejected him, Jesus was amazed at their unbelief. When the Roman centurion told Jesus, “That’s OK, Lord, you don’t need to come to my house; I know you have the authority to heal no matter where you are,” Jesus was amazed at his great faith.

As believers, we have the ability to amaze Jesus — either with our unbelief or with our great faith. And great faith never worries.

Finally, in Matthew 6:34, Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Planning for tomorrow is fine; worrying about it is not. Worry keeps us from stepping out in faith and tackling the very things God wants us to face.

Belief or unbelief — how will you and I amaze Jesus today?

Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove, 9:30 a.m., and Harrisville Methodist Church, 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations. Text Ken at 918-852-9797.