“Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear.”
1 John 4:18 (NCV) A lot of people think the opposite of fear is faith. It’s not! The opposite of fear is love. Love moves against fear. When love comes in the front door of your heart, fear goes out the back door. You can’t be afraid and loving at the same time—not with real love. When you have real love—God’s love—then you don’t have to fear. People don’t run into a burning building to rescue children because of faith. They do it because of love. Parents will put their lives at risk to protect their families because they love their children. If love is the motivation of everything you do, then fear is going to disappear. “Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NCV). Maybe something you have to do is making you nervous. When you start feeling fear rise up in you, you need to pause at that moment. Then focus on how much God loves you. You may need to remind yourself out loud: “God, you really love me! You’re on my side. You want me to succeed in this. I’m going to do it in your strength and with your love.” God doesn’t want you to fail. He wants you to succeed at what you’re doing and fulfill your purpose. When you focus on his love, you won’t be afraid. Perfect love casts out all fear! When you’re fearful, you’re focusing totally on yourself. That’s not love! When you’re loving, you’re focused not on yourself but on what other people need. The more loving you are, the less fearful you are. So, if you make love your motivation for what you do, you’re not going to be afraid to do it. Make love your motivation, and move against your fear.
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“Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.”
Luke 2:4-6 (GW) God’s plan for your life is good. It’s for your benefit. It’s a loving plan. But it doesn’t mean it’s painless, and it doesn’t mean it’ll always be convenient. This was particularly true with Jesus’ birth. The circumstances were hardly convenient for Mary and Joseph. The Bible tells us, “At that time, the Emperor Augustus ordered a census of the Roman Empire . . . So Joseph went from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a Judean city called Bethlehem . . . Joseph went there to register with Mary. She had been promised to him in marriage and was pregnant. While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child” (Luke 2:1, 4-6 GW). As they prepared to face their role as parents to the Son of God, Mary and Joseph heard that Caesar issued a census, and everybody had to go back to their ancestral town. Let’s put that in perspective: If tomorrow the government made a rule that required every single person to go back to the town they were from—all at the same time—it would cause chaos! Every plane, train, and automobile would be booked. Every highway would be filled. It would be incredibly frustrating and remarkably inconvenient. Now try navigating that chaos nine months pregnant. Imagine how inconvenient it would be to travel by donkey to another city when you’re ready to give birth at any moment. That’s what Mary did. Then, when she finally got to Bethlehem, she had to deliver her baby in a barn, surrounded by a bunch of animals. None of the circumstances around Jesus’ birth were convenient. But they were part of God’s plan. It had been long foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The inconveniences to get them there were part of a bigger plan for Joseph and Mary, one that was better than they could have ever dreamed. Joseph and Mary trusted God through their discomfort and fear. You, too, can trust that all the things God does in your life are because he knows best. He might use some inconveniences to get you where you need to be, but he is always working for your good and working out his purposes in your life. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways.”
Psalm 37:7 (NIV) You may not hear the word “fret” much anymore. It’s an older word that just means “worry.” When you fret, you get stressed out, anxious, and impatient. You worry because things are either happening too fast and you can’t handle the change or because things are going too slow and you want God to speed things up. We don’t usually mind waiting if we can gripe about it. But when you choose to wait patiently on God instead of fretting, it is a statement of faith. You’re making a declaration about God’s character. When you wait patiently, you’re saying that you trust God and have faith in him. You’re humbly admitting your dependence on him. The Bible says in Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways” (NIV). One of the biggest reasons we get stressed out is because we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others. Instead of focusing on God’s love and what he’s done for us, we look at other people, focusing on what they have that we don’t. Comparing yourself to others is never wise. Why? Because you’re one of a kind! God has a plan for your life that’s different from his plan for anyone else. If you’re wishing that God gave you another person’s plan, then you’re going to miss the plan for your life! Comparing leads to fretting. When you compare, you start worrying. But worry is worthless. Any second you spend worrying is wasted, because worry can’t accomplish anything. Worry can’t change the past. It can’t control the future. It’s only going to make you miserable today. It’s like sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth, back and forth. You don’t make any progress, and you use a lot of energy. Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers” (MSG). Worry will never change anything, but prayer will. So don’t fret this Christmas season. Just pray! “Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him.”
Mark 3:14 (CEV) If I were to ask you to complete this sentence, “If you want a job done right . . .” you would probably finish it with this: “. . . do it yourself.” But that’s the motto of a perfectionist headed for burnout—because you can’t do every job by yourself. Jesus was human, just like us. And just like us, he was never meant to handle the stress of daily life by himself. Do you know the first thing Jesus did when he started his ministry? He formed a small group. Mark 3:14 says, “Then he chose twelve of them to be his apostles, so they could be with him” (CEV). That was his small group! Jesus gathered a small group before starting his ministry, because he knew God wanted him to do ministry and walk through his hardest days with his friends by his side. If anybody had a right to say, “If you want a job done right, do it yourself,” it was Jesus. He had the power to do anything, yet even he knew the power of having a small group for support. When he went to the Garden of Gethsemane, just before the cross, Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 26:38, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (NIV). Even Jesus needed people to pray with him. Even Jesus needed the support of a small group when he was in a crisis. So much of our stress is self-imposed. We get uptight when we think it all depends on us—but it doesn’t. God hasn’t called you to be the general manager of the universe, let alone expect you to be able to manage your own life by yourself. You need his direction and strength, and you need the support of a small group. We often don’t accept help from other people because of our insecurity and pride, and so we stay stressed out. But there are people of faith who are willing to help and support you—and people who need your help and support. Humble yourself and admit that you can’t do it on your own. And you don’t have to! God made the church to help you in stressful times. And he will lead you to the people you need if you’ll just let your guard down and trust him to provide. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:14 (NLT) If you’re not sure who you really are, then you can be manipulated and molded by the pressures, problems, and people around you—and that leads to stress! Our culture is constantly trying to fit you into its mold. When you have a confused and unclear identity, when you don’t really know who you are, it makes you more vulnerable to the culture’s influence. Until you settle in your mind that God loves you unconditionally and that you’re a child of God, you’re going to be prone to stress. Jesus never had any doubts about his identity. In fact, 18 times in Scripture he publicly declared who he was. These are called his “I am” statements, like, I am the Light of the World. I am the Son of God. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I am the Bread of Life. Jesus made it clear that he knew exactly who he was. In John 8:18, Jesus said, “I testify on my own behalf” (GNT). He didn’t need other people to tell him who he was. He didn’t look to others for validation. When you depend on other people’s opinions for validation, you can’t be resilient to stress. Because if you don’t know who you are, then other people will decide it for you. They’ll force you into a mold, and you’ll get stressed trying to be someone you’re not. You’ll end up pretending and wearing a mask. It will wear you out! Jesus knew he was the Light of the World. But he also said the same thing about you: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14 NLT). Do you realize how special you are? Not because of what other people say but because of what God says. There’s nobody in the world exactly like you. You must accept the truth about you—your strengths and your limitations and weaknesses. God made you with all of those things, and he has given you everything you need to do his will. When you accept that, you’ll be secure in your identity and a lot less stressed. “Come to me and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 (CEV) When Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 CEV), what kind of rest is he talking about? Jesus offers a rest for your soul that’s much deeper than physical rest—because he knows that the problem you need help with right now is probably not overworked muscles. When you come to Jesus in your emptiness, what you probably have is an overloaded mind, soul, and spirit. You need rest not just from physical work but from tension, stress, anxiety, hurry, and worry. You need the kind of rest that can’t come from taking a good nap or going on vacation. Most people have a way to unwind when they’re physically tired that’s different from how they unwind when they’re emotionally and spiritually exhausted. Maybe when you’re tired, you watch a movie or spend time on your phone. Maybe you have to lie down, or maybe you need a walk outside. Maybe you choose to spend time with friends, or maybe it’s better for you to be alone. Those can all be good things—but none of them can restore your soul. Only God can restore your soul. That’s why, when you have soul emptiness, soul depression, or soul overload, Jesus wants you to come to him. Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak” (TLB). When you’re empty inside, culture says you need to do more. You need to make more money, get more things, do more things, travel more places. Go, go, go. More, more, more. But that’s the very reason you’re empty! Jesus wants you to do the opposite: Don’t go. Come to him—and come just as you are. Your soul will never find rest in anything the world has to offer. That’s because your soul was not created to be filled by anything in this world. You were made for God, and you only find real rest when you bring your weary soul to him. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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