...continued
Promises from God:
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
If we fail to consider worry a sin, then when we are on the brink of it, we will not attack its closeness as a temptation to offend God by relying on our native resources as sufficient to remedy our situation.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Matthew 6:25-34 is sufficient proof to call worry a sin, but we may have more trouble distinguishing between the temptation and behavior of worry from needful strategizing. We all come across times when we must meditate on a relationship, a decision, past events, possible future events and the sort so we can make informed decisions or give good council. So the question is, when does this meditation become a temptation to sin or sin itself? In all of the situations described above we can look at them, analyze them, and bring God’s Word to bear in order to solve the problem, but all of us at one time or another are tempted to worry when we either, do not attempt to apply The Word or even in the midst of doing so, we still lean on our own understanding or actually try to accomplish godly goals in the flesh. What I mean is that we can identify a problem, find portions and principles of The Word that pertain to it, but then implement the solution in the flesh. Here is an example;
I recently found a small lump on my oldest son, Jeffrey’s, neck late one evening. I know that the Word and sense would tell me to prayerfully seek the proper amount of medical attention to assess and hopefully alleviate the problem, so this is what Melissa (my wife) and I decide to do. I told her to call his doctor in the morning so they could see him as soon as possible. When she called the next morning, the nurse said that they could see him at 10:30. When I heard, there was an immediate temptation to worry about Jeffrey’s health and to be angry at the doctor’s office for not trying to see him sooner, after all his ailment was very serious, or so we thought. But hearing God’s Word speak of His sovereign care and control over Jeffrey’s neck, the doctors and nurses at that office, the persons and illnesses involved in the appointments made previous to ours, my meditation on these truths combated my temptation to worry that the doctor’s were not doing all they could to see him in a timely manner, and they also combated the anger that I would otherwise have given in to because I didn’t think that they were handling our situation to my approval. I had done what was humanly possible to take care of my son, yet if I had gotten angry at the doctor’s office or worried over the amount of time it was going to take for them to see him, then I would have implemented the solution in the flesh. Now, the place where I was most vehemently tempted was while waiting to find out what was actually wrong with our son. The evening before we were able to contact the doctor, and the next morning until I heard the news from Melissa about Jeffrey’s condition were a crucible which God used to burn away the extraneous thoughts of worry in my life. In that period of time I constantly found myself either being tempted to sinfully meditate on what might be or giving into that temptation because my mind was at times void of meditations on God: that void was easily filled by sinful thoughts.
Ultimately, the root of my temptation to worry is my idolatry…yes, my idolatry. Because, at least at moments of time during this trial, I desired my relationship with our son greater than I desired my relationship with my God. I put Jeffrey and our relationship above God and my adoption by Him and the future grace He will employ to raise by dead body to reunite it with my spirit, which He most mercifully redeemed. Because I still struggle with the flesh, I am often tempted to consider myself as more than I am and to consider God as less than He is; in this way, I am at times a practical atheist; I try to do the best I can in a given situation and I leave God and His sovereign hand out of it all together. When I do this, I inescapably end up in a pattern of sinful worry, where I contemplate the couldbes and when that rumination does not solve the problem I then reflect on what shouldaben and when that doesn’t work I again meditate on the couldbes…I think you get the point. But God, in His mercy, saw to it that nothing at all was wrong with Jeffrey, but that his skinny neck allows us to see his lymph nodes very easily...and sometimes they appear as small lumps. The tenderness Jeffrey was experiencing in that area was a result of an infection he had the previous week, which was now gone, Praise God!
So we see that worry is sin and is often associated with other sins: anger, bitterness, and idolatry, so hopefully you can see how 1 Corinthians 10:13 dovetails into this discussion. Paul assures us that the children of God, a God who has proven His faithfulness in Christ, can count on a way of escape because as new creatures graciously adopted into His family, God has given us the ability to resist the temptation to worry, also by His grace, and in this resistance we endure the temptation side by side with Christ our mediator, faithful High Priest, who is King over all His creation yet who also humbled Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
Because we are metaphysical creations (our spirits and bodies are now linked) we probably experience more difficulty fighting temptation when we are sick, fatigued, or even frightened, and the window for the temptation to worry can be flung wide open when we find ourselves in one or more of these conditions. A good friend of mine has posted two blog articles recently to illustrate the battle which the Christian engages as he faces temptation and I expect it would be edifying for all who take the time to read it.
Promises from God:
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
If we fail to consider worry a sin, then when we are on the brink of it, we will not attack its closeness as a temptation to offend God by relying on our native resources as sufficient to remedy our situation.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Matthew 6:25-34 is sufficient proof to call worry a sin, but we may have more trouble distinguishing between the temptation and behavior of worry from needful strategizing. We all come across times when we must meditate on a relationship, a decision, past events, possible future events and the sort so we can make informed decisions or give good council. So the question is, when does this meditation become a temptation to sin or sin itself? In all of the situations described above we can look at them, analyze them, and bring God’s Word to bear in order to solve the problem, but all of us at one time or another are tempted to worry when we either, do not attempt to apply The Word or even in the midst of doing so, we still lean on our own understanding or actually try to accomplish godly goals in the flesh. What I mean is that we can identify a problem, find portions and principles of The Word that pertain to it, but then implement the solution in the flesh. Here is an example;
I recently found a small lump on my oldest son, Jeffrey’s, neck late one evening. I know that the Word and sense would tell me to prayerfully seek the proper amount of medical attention to assess and hopefully alleviate the problem, so this is what Melissa (my wife) and I decide to do. I told her to call his doctor in the morning so they could see him as soon as possible. When she called the next morning, the nurse said that they could see him at 10:30. When I heard, there was an immediate temptation to worry about Jeffrey’s health and to be angry at the doctor’s office for not trying to see him sooner, after all his ailment was very serious, or so we thought. But hearing God’s Word speak of His sovereign care and control over Jeffrey’s neck, the doctors and nurses at that office, the persons and illnesses involved in the appointments made previous to ours, my meditation on these truths combated my temptation to worry that the doctor’s were not doing all they could to see him in a timely manner, and they also combated the anger that I would otherwise have given in to because I didn’t think that they were handling our situation to my approval. I had done what was humanly possible to take care of my son, yet if I had gotten angry at the doctor’s office or worried over the amount of time it was going to take for them to see him, then I would have implemented the solution in the flesh. Now, the place where I was most vehemently tempted was while waiting to find out what was actually wrong with our son. The evening before we were able to contact the doctor, and the next morning until I heard the news from Melissa about Jeffrey’s condition were a crucible which God used to burn away the extraneous thoughts of worry in my life. In that period of time I constantly found myself either being tempted to sinfully meditate on what might be or giving into that temptation because my mind was at times void of meditations on God: that void was easily filled by sinful thoughts.
Ultimately, the root of my temptation to worry is my idolatry…yes, my idolatry. Because, at least at moments of time during this trial, I desired my relationship with our son greater than I desired my relationship with my God. I put Jeffrey and our relationship above God and my adoption by Him and the future grace He will employ to raise by dead body to reunite it with my spirit, which He most mercifully redeemed. Because I still struggle with the flesh, I am often tempted to consider myself as more than I am and to consider God as less than He is; in this way, I am at times a practical atheist; I try to do the best I can in a given situation and I leave God and His sovereign hand out of it all together. When I do this, I inescapably end up in a pattern of sinful worry, where I contemplate the couldbes and when that rumination does not solve the problem I then reflect on what shouldaben and when that doesn’t work I again meditate on the couldbes…I think you get the point. But God, in His mercy, saw to it that nothing at all was wrong with Jeffrey, but that his skinny neck allows us to see his lymph nodes very easily...and sometimes they appear as small lumps. The tenderness Jeffrey was experiencing in that area was a result of an infection he had the previous week, which was now gone, Praise God!
So we see that worry is sin and is often associated with other sins: anger, bitterness, and idolatry, so hopefully you can see how 1 Corinthians 10:13 dovetails into this discussion. Paul assures us that the children of God, a God who has proven His faithfulness in Christ, can count on a way of escape because as new creatures graciously adopted into His family, God has given us the ability to resist the temptation to worry, also by His grace, and in this resistance we endure the temptation side by side with Christ our mediator, faithful High Priest, who is King over all His creation yet who also humbled Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our sin.
Because we are metaphysical creations (our spirits and bodies are now linked) we probably experience more difficulty fighting temptation when we are sick, fatigued, or even frightened, and the window for the temptation to worry can be flung wide open when we find ourselves in one or more of these conditions. A good friend of mine has posted two blog articles recently to illustrate the battle which the Christian engages as he faces temptation and I expect it would be edifying for all who take the time to read it.
Lastly, I would like to close this study with the straight forward teachings of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians; very little commentary is needed to apply this passage to our study, so I will try to refrain; what words can I possibly add to the servant of God who was lead by His Spirit to write these?
Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Amen, and Amen!
1 comment:
Thanks for this, Jason. No, I think it has been a thorough treatment of the subject. Nice blog book! I am not sure what's going on with Redfern's link...
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