Rock on... carefully!!!

Most of my family lives in New Jersey, so hurricane Irene has occupied a lot of my thoughts for the past few days.  The constant TV coverage only made matters worse, but after all, that's what they do.  I don't think I was really worried, more like concerned.  Worry, doesn't become worry (with me anyway) until I start doing repetitive things, like walking back and forth just thinking about whatever is bothering me or sitting in my rocking chair doing nothing else but rocking and thinking.  Yet, that still could be concern and not worry.  The real thing comes when I find yourself doing a repetitive action and mulling over all the possible scenarios of what could happen.  Its a times like these when I go back to the words of Jesus.

Matthew 6:24-34 (WEB)
24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
25) Therefore, I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26) See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27) “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
28) Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
29) yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
30) But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31) “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
32) For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33) But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
34) Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.

I really love what Jesus says here!!!  It puts things in perspective.  We all live and we all die, but what is really important lies beyond the mere concepts of life and death, its about your relationship with God.  If I really believe that God is who HE is, then I should KNOW that HE will care for me because of my relationship to HIM.  That changes things!!!  Things will work themselves out because GOD is working through my life, changing the world through me and also for me.  I will survive as long as HE sees fit to have me here, so there is nothing to really WORRY about because in life and death HE is in control.  I heard a sermon yesterday about contentment that also seems to be right to the point.  Here is the text.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (WEB)
6) But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7) For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.
8) But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9) But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
10) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Perhaps I will take some time today, turn off the TV and just think about both passages.   The stock market may go up or down, storms may come or go, but life goes on.  Jesus lives forever!!!