When Worry Takes Over By: Sue Cramer
To Get Things Brewing… What is your favorite flavor of ice-cream? What was the last birthday that you had a celebration for and what did you do? Is there anything you like to shop for online? What? Have you ever had a nickname? What was it and why? Devotion: Weeding a Garden Have you ever weeded a garden? Whether it’s flowers or vegetables it seems that the weeds just love to surround and overtake them. The weeds also seem to explode with growth about three times as fast as the plants that we’re trying to cultivate and grow. They also like to wrap themselves around the roots of the plants as an anchor while springing up higher than them to choke out the sunlight too. So we pull the weeds because if we don’t get rid of the weeds, we won’t have any flowers or vegetables at all. Jesus tells a story in Matthew 13 about a farmer who plants some seeds. Some fall among thorns that grow up and choke out the tender blades. Jesus tells us that the thorns represent cares and worries. I believe that “thorns” also represent problems in life. Fears and worries sprout up and try to choke out the simple faith that first brought me into a relationship with God. Just like the weeds in our gardens need to be pulled out to let our flowers bloom and thrive…the “weeds” of worry and fear in our life need to be rooted out of our lives so that we can become all that God wants us to be. Fear and worry can play havoc on our mind if we let them. God promises to give us peace and freedom but the enemy would love to keep us all bound up. Resting in a relationship with the Lord and learning about His love for us will help us live free from worry and fear.
Grace to Go… Are you a worrier by nature or do you tend to let things go easily? What are some of the fears and worries that have tried to choke out God’s plan in your life? How have you dealt with those fears? How does trusting God play a part in those fears?
An Extra Shot… Read the chapter of Matthew 6:25-34 and discuss how it applies to your life today. How do we “seek first the kingdom of God” today? 32