Our society tells us that 'the early bird gets the worm.' And success is only achieved through our own efforts. You've certainly heard the expression "the harder he worked, the luckier he became." We nod sagely and say, yes, it's all about hard work. No one cares more about your success than you do.'
And yet....and yet. Scripture offers a radically different view. In today's passage, Paul tells us to 'clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.' He also instructs us to 'humble yourselves under God's mighty hand.' And did I mention that scripture talks about suffering? A lot? (Be sure to read v. 10....and just google 'suffering in the Bible' and you will get pages and pages of verses to examine).
So what does an American Christian, steeped in the "pull yourselves up by your bootstraps" ethos, do? We open our Bibles, we ask God to show us how to live. And we 'cast all our anxiety on Him, because he cares for us.' (v. 7). We don't cast some of our anxiety on Him. We cast it all. And when we want to reel it back in to handle it ourselves, we confess our sin, and we give it back to him. Again. And again. And again....
Lord, I want to live for you. Help me to draw closer to you, and to cast all my cares on you. Amen.
So what does an American Christian, steeped in the "pull yourselves up by your bootstraps" ethos, do? We open our Bibles, we ask God to show us how to live. And we 'cast all our anxiety on Him, because he cares for us.' (v. 7). We don't cast some of our anxiety on Him. We cast it all. And when we want to reel it back in to handle it ourselves, we confess our sin, and we give it back to him. Again. And again. And again....
Lord, I want to live for you. Help me to draw closer to you, and to cast all my cares on you. Amen.
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