Do Not Worry

I found out today about very serious health problem with one of my closest relatives and it got me thinking about the sermon from a few weeks back. I remember Pastor Stu saying, "Do Not Worry," it's a command. Jesus doesn't say "Do not worry if you want to" or "Do not worry if you feel like it." It's a command. To me that means that I must strive to be obedient by doing what the Lord says. If He says "Do Not Worry", I must try my hardest to trust in Him that He has everything under control. Once I found out this news about my relative, I almost panicked. But then I stopped myself and said in my head, "Do Not Worry". Why must I worry about something that I have no control over. The Lord has a plan and He knows what He is doing. The most I can do is be there for that individual, pray for them, and continue to give them encouragement. Tonight in Community Group we talked about that concept of Jesus' commands. He tells us NOT to worry. He also tells us to be thankful in ALL circumstances. These are two commands that are really difficult to accomplish all the time. But if I start doing them out of obedience to Christ, then eventually it will become more natural and automatic and my heart and mind will start to change. My worry will start to consume me less and I will find myself thankful in more situations. I'm not saying this is easy to do, because its not. But it is a goal and something I can strive for. Today, after I realized that my relative is in God's hands and not mine, it gave me a sense of peace. Imagine that...as a result of obedience, the Lord grants peace and blessings. I should try that more often, eh? Well, that is just something to chew on for the week. Think about it.