Wednesday, June 30, 2010

"The Worst Debt You Can Owe", by Pastor Kevin Lynch

I don't know how accurate television commercial statistics are concerning debt relief, but there is one that says 6 out of 10 Americans are in debt. Even if it's off a bit it is a lot. That's over 1/2 of all America.

That's one big fat pile of worry.

Most folks have some kind of debt. Mortgage or rent is pretty much a necessity. Car payments. Medical bills. Oh yeah, credit cards (not a necessity).

As bad as all that can be there is a worse debt.

The indebtedness to worry. Add it's little brothers "Stress" and "Anxiety", and...well...you can figure it out.

Jesus tells us not to worry, as we looked at yesterday. He tells us that it does not add one bit to our lives. In other words, worrying never solved anything or cleared up the issue we were worrying about.

NEVER.

In fact, we know today that worry causes devastating medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease, strokes, and mental illness. Not only does it not add to your life, but it will actually end it earlier.

And that's if we are caught up on our worry debt! Yes, that's even if we are only worrying one day at a time and are "worrying as we go"!

How about the chronic borrower? I'm talking worry debt here.

How about when you are not only worrying about what's on your plate today, but are adding exponentially to your worry debt by borrowing on tomorrow's troubles? Or the next day? Or the next week? Suppose you are in debt to worry about the next month in advance?

Yikes!

Did you know it is so bad to do that, that Jesus actually addressed it separately from His previous admonition against worrying?

Matt. 6:34 - "So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Notice again, that Jesus is not saying we will not have troubles. In fact, He is saying the opposite. We will indeed have troubles. He is simply saying do not worry about them.

Easy for Him to say.

Yes, it is easy for Him to say, because He is the One who is the best equipped to equip us to deal with them.

Did you catch that? He equips us.

Say it: "Jesus equips me to deal with all of my troubles". Say it until you believe it. You need to be convinced or else you will always revert to trusting yourself, which usually has been an abject failure.

You worry in the first place because you have no solutions. People who have solutions have no need to worry.

I have debts. I have responsibilities. I have issues. I also don't worry.

That's right. I never worry. One, because it is disobedient to God (that's a good enough reason right there). If it's disobedient it's sin once it's revealed not to do it. Two, there is a good chance that I am celebrating my 57th birthday today as a healthy man because I don't worry.

Tomorrow I will give you a practical way to deal with it, and all from the Word of God.

Until then, live a little. Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright.

"Jesus equips me to deal with all of my troubles."

That's...

...Keepin' it Real!

Pastor Kevin <><

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