Friday, March 16, 2012

Weekend Speaker Redmond - Pastor Greg Rohlinger

Weekend Speaker Issaquah- Pastor Rusty Gerhart

Theme:  I Can's Stop Worrying

Read:  Psalm 23

Think:  There are many promises in Scripture, and some are much more pleasant than others.  But there is one in particular that I find disquieting.  In John 16:33, Jesus Himself said, “In this world, you will have trouble”.  Not the normal uplifting stuff I expect to hear from Jesus.  But it sure jives with my experience in life.  How about yours?

Sunday was the first time I had heard Pastor Greg speak.  Given the trouble he is experiencing with his illness, his choice of topic was fascinating to me.  He’s got so much to be worried about, but he stood up there saying ‘don’t worry’.  And he actually didn’t seem to be worrying, either.

Pastor Greg referred us to other words of Jesus, recorded more than once in Matthew 6 - ‘do not worry’.  It is tempting to believe that Jesus was promising to take away our troubles.  After all, He loves us, and is all-powerful.  Certainly, if Jesus is going to remove our troubles, we wouldn’t have to worry.  So, if Jesus says ‘don’t worry’ does that mean he’s going to solve every problem we might face?

Nope.  As noted, Jesus said exactly the opposite: “you will have trouble.”  The reason that we can choose to reject the temptation to worry is not that God will remove all trouble from our lives.  Rather, we can leave worry behind because God will be with us in any trouble if we let Him.  As Pastor Greg said, we can trust God’s heart.  God loves us, and will comfort us in our times of trial, providing what we need. 

What is tempting you to worry today?  Turn to the Good Shepherd and with the Psalmist say ‘I will fear no evil for you are with me.” 

Do:  Identify some of things that had worried you recently.  Now, for which of those things has the worrying actually helped? 

Pray:  Lord God, how come it can be so easy to worry and so hard to trust You?  It shouldn’t be that way, I know.  By experience, I know that worry doesn’t help.  Change me, God.  Teach me to trust You, and let go of the worry.  Shepherd me, Father.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.