Category Archives: Roger

Christian Worldview 5 – Made in the Image of God

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(For Part 1 click here)

In the Bible class I teach we are discussing how to develop and defend our Christian worldview. This week we are investigating the creation narrative and what it tells us about being made in the image of God. Along with that we are discussing the position God has given mankind in subduing and having dominion over the creation.

What does it mean to be made in the image of God? We know that God does not have a physical body like we have. He is a spirit being. So that can’t be what the Bible means. There are certain characteristics that God has given us that he also possesses. For example, he is able to think and we are able to think. God is creative and he has given us the ability to create. God can communicate and we have the ability to communicate. I’m sure you can think of others. Internally we are a spirit as well. God says that his spirit bears witness with our spirit. So we are spirit beings inside of a physical body.

God has given us the dominion over his creation and has told us we are to subdue it. To subdue means to bring it under control. We are God’s representatives to be the stewards or care-takers of his creation. One of the first things that Adam did was to name the animals. Naming things is one way we make sense of and gain control over our environment. After Adam’s fall, this stewardship responsibility became much more difficult. Work was harder and more laborious.

As God’s managers we have the responsibility to take good care of the created world, the environment we live in. But we are to remember that God has created this world with resources for us to use. Some of the creation has been given to us for food and so we should not be afraid to take plants from the ground or kill animals for our nourishment. On the other hand, having dominion doesn’t mean we should wantonly waste resources or pollute them so that they are unusable by others. There’s an important balance that we must maintain as we serve God by managing his creation.

(Part 6)

Thoughts on Psalm 104

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Take some time and read Psalm 104 thoroughly and carefully. It will help you in your appreciation of God and his might power and creative design. I’m not going to discuss every verse but just reflect on some of the things that stood out to me.

Verse 1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” Take time to talk to yourself. Encourage yourself to be focused on the praise that God deserves. Acknowledge God’s greatness to him. Don’t just rest on the fact that you know it in your mind. Tell him, “O Lord, you are very great!”

Verse 5 “You laid the foundations of the earth…” We realize that the Bible is not a science book per se. We recognize that the earth does not have foundations or pillars to rest on. But its stability is amazing when we think about the fact that it is just floating in space obeying the laws of gravity which God designed for it.

Verses 6-9 speak of God’s control over the waters. This could be a description of creative action at the beginning or of the great flood of Noah’s day. All of this is attributed to God’s active involvement.

Verses 10 and 11 give evidence of God’s active involvement and design and planning to give water and nourishment to the animals. God is not just far away in some corner of heaven. He is involved and aware and observant of all of his creation. Jesus encouraged us not to worry but to trust God because he takes care of the birds and clothes the field with splendor,  Matthew 6:28-31.

Verses 13 and 14: He waters the hills and causes the grass to grow. The earth is satisfied with God’s provision and care. His provision for mankind is included since man is able to bring forth food from the earth with which he can provide himself with bread and wine for his sustenance.

Verse 18 : God provided specific habitats for the creatures he had made.

Verse 19: He uses the sun and moon to mark off the days and seasons and to allow the various animals to follow their instincts for hunting and sleeping. Some sleep during the day and hunt at night. God has created, designed and provided for all of these differences.

Verse 23 shows us that his provision includes man and the provision for him to go out to work and return for a night’s rest. Psalm 127:2 tells us that God provides his beloved sleep.

Verses 24-26: How manifold are God’s works. He created innumerable creatures for the sea as well as the earth. Many of these man has never seen. And yet they are there, playing. I believe God enjoys watching what he has made, even when we can’t see it.

Verses 27-30 explain how all creation waits upon God for their food. Just as in Jesus’ parable, God provides for every sparrow and every other creature as well. We need to learn to trust him. I’m also impressed to see God’s continuous creative process at work. He takes away their breath and they return to dust. He sends his spirit and new ones are born renewing the face of the earth.

Verse 33: The response is one of rejoicing and praise demonstrated by the outburst of song.

 

Do we pay enough attention to all that God s created? Do we meditate on the amazing wonder of his works displayed throughout the earth and sky? Perhaps if we did, we would be more prone to praise and magnify his name and be thankful for all he is and does.

Christian Worldview 4

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All of the things we have looked at picture what things were like before time began. It seems to me that if we take a look at what things will be like after time is over, we might get a better idea of The Point. In the whole scheme of things from the biblical point of view, the period of time from the beginning until the end is very short compared to all of eternity before and after. So if we can see what is taking place at the end, we will be able to see what God accomplished during time. That will give us insight into the purpose of it all.

If we could “visit” the end, what would we “see”? First we would find that the Triune God was still there. But we would notice that God the Son now has a glorified human body and further we would notice that that body has been wounded. What Christianity pictures for us at this point is astounding! The Spirit-God of the universe has somehow taken on a human body that had lived a life on earth, died a gruesome death and is now back in heaven with a wounded human, but glorified, body.

Along with the trinity we will see countless other glorified human beings. As we watch and listen we learn that these are one spirit with the Son and of His flesh and bones. We learn that they share in the divine nature, are variously called brothers or the bride of the Son. They are called joint-heirs with the Son putting them basically into the family of God. And furthermore we see that they share in ruling and reigning along with the Son of God. (see Hebrews 2:11; Eph 5:30-33; 1 Cor 6:16-17; Romans 8:17;2 Peter 1:4; Rev 20:4)

We hear countless groups giving praise to God with sayings such as these:

 

Holy, holy holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!

You are worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

 

You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.

 

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!

 

Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

 

In addition to these glorified human beings we see other created beings that we would call angels who are serving and ministering. But the sad thing we see is that there is a terrible place of torment where both humans and demons are being punished eternally for crimes they have committed against God.

 

What do we learn from this picture of what is taking place at the end?  1) God created all things for His pleasure, glory and honor. 2) We learn that God is just and must punish evil and rebellion. He doesn’t just sweep everybody in and wink at sin. 3) We learn that God was willing to sacrifice Himself to redeem a people for Himself. 4) We learn that there will be people of every tribe and nation participating. God does not discriminate. 5) His people will rule and reign with Him. 6) Finally, we learn that there will be enduring praise forever and ever for God and the glory He demonstrates in all His ways.

 

So what this tells us is the same thing all of the Bible is telling us. God created and then sent Jesus to redeem a people for Himself for the eternal praise of His glory. That’s why we’re here! As John Piper puts it, “The purpose of God is the ingathering of the nations to worship His Son. The magnifying of Christ in the white-hot worship of all nations is the reason the world exists.”

(Part 5)

Christian Worldview 3 – God’s Eternal Plan for His Glory

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Last time we saw some of the things that the Son of God agreed to do in relationship with the creation of the world and redemption of His people. God the Father promised that He would prepare a body for His son (Luke 1:35; Heb 10:5). He promised that He would give Him everything He needed for His mission (Matt 12:18; Isa 42:1-8; 49:8; Ps 16:8-11; John 3:34; Acts 2:25-28). He promised that He would make Him the surety or guarantor of the New Covenant (Heb 7:22). As a reward He would make Him head of the church, His spiritual body (Acts 2:33; 1 Cor 12:13; Eph 1:22). He promised Him a numerous seed in reward for His work (Ps 72:17; John 6:37; Romans 5:18-19; Col 2:9; Hebrews 2;13; Isaiah 53:10, 11).

God the Holy Spirit’s role was to empower Christ for His ministry (Luke 4:1, 14, 18; John 3:34) and to apply the benefits of Christ’s redemptive work to God’s people after Jesus left (John 14:16-17, 26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14; Acts 1:8; 2:17-18, 33).

So as we look at the big picture and try to answer the big questions about what is the purpose and meaning of life and the world, we see that at the beginning the only thing that existed was an all-powerful, all-knowing God existing in three persons. All were spiritual beings, meaning they didn’t have physical bodies. They communicated with each other, loved each other and had fellowship, all within the Godhead. Before anything had been created they planned together to create a universe and world that would have creatures of all kinds, but the pinnacle was to be human beings who would have many characteristics that God had. Humans would be able to love and communicate and fellowship. They would be conscious beings who would be able to plan, create and appreciate their surroundings.

Why would God plan this? The Bible tells us that God does everything He does for the glory of His great name. By creating other conscious beings, His glory would be able to be seen and appreciated by a host of beings who would share in His joy and delight in all He had made.

(Part 4)

Worldview 2 – Agreement between God the Father and the Son

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Continuing our discussion of the big picture questions, we find out in John 1:1 that something called “The Word” was with God in the beginning and also was God. This Word, or logos, is God the Son who ultimately became a man and lived here on earth among us as Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples that He had shared glory with the Father before the world began (John 17:24), and that the Father had loved Him before the world began (John 17:24).

The Bible indicates throughout that the three persons of the Godhead counseled and planned together concerning the creation of the world and the redemption of a people to be God’s personal possession. If you have time you might check out some of the following passages of Scripture: Psalm 33:11;  Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 46:9-10; Matt 25:34; Eph 1:4, 9-12; Eph 3:9-11; 2 Tim 1:9; Rev 13:8.

Even though this plan was an eternal plan before the world began, it was implemented in time, at the right time: Galatians 4:4; Romans 5:6; 1 Peter 1:20; Titus 1:2-3; 2 Tim 1:810; Ps 139:16

Because God is trinity, there was an agreement or covenant among the members of the trinity, agreed on before time began, as to how our redemption would be accomplished. Among other things the Son agreed in participating in the creation of the world and mankind. He would become a man and assume human nature (John 1:14; Gal 4:4-5; Heb 2:10-15). He would be placed under the law, obey it perfectly, and yet die in order to pay the penalty for sin (Ps 40:8; Matt 5:17,18; John 8:28, 29; John 10:18; John 17:4;  Gal 4:4,5; Phil 2:6-8; Heb 10:7-9). He would provide believers with forgiveness and renewal of their lives through the new covenant (Luke 22:20, John 17:12, 19-22; Heb 2: 10-13 7:25). He would give His people eternal life (John 17:2). And also that He would be the representative of a people (1 Cor 15:45; Heb 9:24).

(Part 3)

Worldview Thoughts 1

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Sometimes when I contemplate the Christian faith I like to step back and try to get a grasp of the big picture. In philosophy and even in our own personal lives we ask the big questions: “Why I am I here?” “What is the meaning of life?”  I’ve been thinking about these things recently as I a write a book and as I teach a series on the Christian World View in my church. I thought I would take some of these ideas and condense them for my readers. So let’s begin at the beginning.

In the beginning, before time began and before anything had been created, what was there? The Bible tells us that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). In the beginning nothing existed except God. We learn from Scripture that is Trinity, that is, He is three persons in one Godhead.  There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that this is not just a religious teaching but it is the truth about the way things actually are.

We also know from Scripture that there was love, fellowship and communication among the persons of the Godhead. This is important because the question often comes up among modern thinkers about where love comes from, or why we enjoy fellowship with one another as human beings. The Christian answer is that these traits don’t come from evolution nor are they just figments of our imagination or neural responses to stimuli. According to the Bible, we were made in the image of God and since God has love, He communicates and is a fellowshipping being, it makes sense that we would also have those traits.

(Part 2)

Reading the Puritans

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I don’t know when it happened, but early on in my Christian life, perhaps in my teen years and certainly in my twenties, I developed a taste for Puritan writings and more modern writers who themselves had been steeped in Puritan and Reformation thought. As a pastor, my dad accumulated quite a library which included many Puritan and Reformation works. Even though he was a dispensationalist, he gravitated toward Reformation works and was able, in his own mind at least, to mesh the teachings together in a coherent thought pattern. I think I inherited some of this from him.

What attracted me to these writings was the way the authors in that tradition focused on the greatness, glory and sovereignty of God. The God described in the churches I attended was the same God and the beliefs were the same, but the emphasis was more on us and what we should be doing in our efforts to serve Him and please Him. The God of the Puritans was in charge. His followers could trust Him completely and more than that, they were able to rest in His goodness and in His plans for His people. It’s hard to describe but there was a difference. The God that was described by many people I heard had made salvation available, but His hands seemed to be tied by the “free will” of man. The offer was made, but rather than being the God described in the Bible as the one who goes out to save with His mighty right hand, we were given a God who was somewhat impotent while awaiting the outcome of what everyone was going to do with His Son. I was impressed with the purposes of God in the intention of increasing His glory among the nations and in worshipping this God with the spirit of reverence which is due His great name.

So who were some of the people I began to read and/or listen to? Here are some of my favorites: John Own, Jonathan Edwards, William Gurnall, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John MacArthur, John Piper, Arthur W. Pink, J. I Packer, Martin Luther, R.C. Sproul, to name a few. Now I don’t want to write this disclaimer in every article I write, although I may I have to. But, I don’t agree with every single thing these men say or write and you probably won’t either, but I don’t agree with everything anyone says. So my recommendation to read these men means there is good, meaty substance here even if you don’t agree with every statement or conclusion.

What are some of the works I would recommend? Any of the commentary series by Lloyd-Jones are good. He has a great set of books on Ephesians and Romans among others. These are mainly transcriptions of his sermons which he preached in London to a regular group of folks so these are not the kind of works meant for a scholarly audience. In addition, there is a website dedicated to presenting his audio sermons. The site is http://www.mljtrust.org/. I highly recommend it. I can remember my dad listening to his sermons on the radio back in the 50’s and early 60’s.

A publisher I became familiar with early on in my adult life was Banner of Truth. This organization republishes Puritan works that had gone out of print. One of my favorite was a three paperback series called “The Christian in Complete Armour” by William Gurnall. This is an excellent devotional read. This is a modernized version so it is easier to read than the original. But who would think this much could be written from Ephesians 6 and the armor of God? They also publish a book of Puritan Prayers and Devotions called The Valley of Vision. This book helped me see the difference between the way I pray and meditate from the way the Puritans did. What I saw in them was a deeper reverence for God than what I have and a greater distrust of the flesh and therefore our need for deeper repentance and dependence on God for the living of our lives.

Other good books include Indwelling Sin in Believers by Owen, Practical Christianity by Pink, The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther, The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards, The Pleasures of God by John Piper and any of the books and commentaries by John MacArthur. There is a very difficult book by John Owen titled The Death of Death in the Death of God. But the introduction by J.I. Packer is great if you can find it on line anywhere. Mark Dever and J. I. Packer quote this introduction in its entirety in chapter 4 of In My Place Condemned He Stood.

Some other good books include The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, The Plight of Man and the Power of God by Lloyd-Jones, Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer, The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink and Knowing God by J. I. Packer.

Jonathan Edwards is sometimes hard to follow and Ben Stevens has done us a service by taking Edwards’ book Dissertation Concerning the End for which God Created the World, and simplifying it in modern English for the rest of us. Stevens’ book is entitled simply Why God Created the World. These are very important ideas to think about and I heartily recommend the time it may take to read and think about what Edwards through Stevens is telling us.

For those of you who, like me, are from a Baptist background I’ll mention one more book that was helpful to me a number of years ago. It is called By His Grace and for His Glory by Dr. Thomas J. Nettles. In this book Dr. Nettles shows us how the Doctrines of Grace prevailed in the most influential and enduring arenas of Baptist denominational life until the end of the second decade of the twentieth century. This is a book that traces theological history in Baptist life from Reformation teaching down to the present. So if you’re the type of person that likes history and theology, you might find this an interesting read.

Hopefully this hasn’t been too overwhelming, but I wanted to give you a flavor of the kind of books that were formative in my Christian life and were powerful in propelling me forward in my love for God and His word. Perhaps something in this article will trigger your curiosity and might deepen your love for God and your appreciation of His grace as well.

 

Thanksgiving – How Important Is It?

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How important can the giving of thanks be? And to whom should the thanks be directed? On TV and other media we hear comments such as, “Let’s be grateful for all we have.” Or we hear that we are truly blessed. But seldom do we hear who it is we have been blessed by or to whom our thanksgiving should be directed.

However, the Bible tells us this about God:

Acts 17:24–25 (NKJV) God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

James 1:17 (NKJV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

So it is God who deserves our thanks and since everything good comes from His hand, our thanksgiving ought to frequent because we are constantly receiving life, breath and all things from Him.

The root of all sin is lack of thankfulness and for this persistent ingratitude God has judged mankind.

Romans 1:20–21 (NKJV) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

So this Thanksgiving let’s recognize God for who He is and be overtly thankful to Him recognizing Him as our creator and the giver of all we have. And let’s joyfully worship Him together with others when our churches gather each Lord’s Day because He is worthy of all praise.

Hymn for Today – Thanks to God

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  1. Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
    Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
    Thanks for times now but a memory,
    Thanks for Jesus by my side!
    Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
    Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
    Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
    Thanks for peace within my soul!
  2. Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
    Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
    Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
    Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
    Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
    Thanks for comfort in despair!
    Thanks for grace that none can measure,
    Thanks for love beyond compare!
  3. Thanks for roses by the wayside,
    Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
    Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
    Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
    Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
    Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!
    Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
    Thanks through all eternity!

Combating Worry and Anxiety

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Combating Worry and Anxiety

 

Why do we worry and become anxious? I’m sure we all know the feeling. We begin to struggle with the “What ifs?” of life. What if I lose my job? What will happen to me? What if I get cancer and someone else will raise my children? What if the terrorists bring down our country?

Sometimes our worries and cares stem from having taken on more than we can handle. We agree to do a project for our work or church and find that we are now overwhelmed with more to do than we are sure we are capable of figuring out, and so we worry about how it will all turn out. We worry whether others will be happy with the job we have done.

Most of us Christians know that God has told us not to worry or be anxious. If we have shared our anxieties with someone else we sometimes hear, “You just need to trust God more.” That might be a true admonition, but it sounds too simplistic and somewhat condescending because we are sure that our friend probably hasn’t successfully overcome his worries either.

So let us take a look at what the Bible says about worry to find out why it is an offense to God and what He provides as a means for overcoming this debilitating feeling. As we do this, I don’t mean to sound flippant or trite. I haven’t been able to successfully put all of this into practice either, but if there is a solution to be found, it will be found in the truth of what God has to say. Otherwise there is no answer and we are left to human techniques which may help us relax some, but don’t really solve the problem.

The first thing I believe we need to recognize is that we need to focus on what is true. Our feelings have a way of throwing us around like a rag doll. We need to be firmly connected to the ground of truth which is God Himself and His Word. So let’s look first at what Jesus has to say.

Turn in your Bible to Matthew 6:25. Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life….” He begins His sentence with “therefore.” That means He is connecting it to what preceded. In verse 24 He had told us that we cannot serve two masters. We as human beings have trouble with idolatry. We try to serve things that are not God and we put other things in the place that only God should occupy. So Jesus has said that it’s not possible to serve two masters. Therefore, do not worry. I take this to mean that when we worry we are actually trying to serve something other than God. I believe this is one reason Jesus commands us not to worry. We are trusting something other than Him to satisfy our deepest needs. So one thing we can do is to look at what we worry about to see if there is some focus there that is too strong and is usurping God’s rightful place.

In this passage in Matthew Jesus is focusing primarily on food and clothing. As we read through the passage we see that God is faithful to provide for the needs of His creation and we are of more value to Him than anything else in creation and therefore He will supply our needs as well. We can trust Him. We can’t increase our stature or add one day to our life by worrying about it and so we should trust Him to meet our needs. So anxiety is a sign that we are not really trusting God for what He has promised to provide. As we think about our propensity to worry, we should examine the kinds of things we worry about and ask ourselves if we are really trusting God in these areas.

Many other examples of the down side of worry are mentioned in Scripture. Martha was worried about her serving whereas Jesus told her she should have been focusing on something more important (Luke 10:41). The worries of this world can actually choke out the gospel and prevent eternal life from taking hold (Mark 4:19). Worries can weigh us down just like many other “worse” sins and keep us from being alert to the coming of the Lord (Luke 21:34).

So without being too simplistic, how can we gain victory over this menacing sin? First, we need to train ourselves to think about things that are true, lovely, noble, etc. (Philippians 4:8). We are prone to thinking negatively. We are prone to thinking about past circumstances and possible future difficulties. Neither of these is true. What’s past is done and can’t be changed. All the going back and rehearsing how it would be different if I had only…, don’t work. So focus on what you know to be true about God, His promises and the circumstances. If you still have your health and job today, then that is what’s true. So focus on the truth.

Next, consider the truth that God is sovereign. He is working all things together for His glory and for your good if you are one of His children. He doesn’t simply know what you are going through, He has designed it to further His purposes in the world. What you are going through is not a surprise to Him. Consider for example Acts 4:27, 28; John 9:1-3; Isaiah 45:5-7.

Remember the fact that God is always good, loving, kind, wise and gracious. He is working all things together for your good (Romans 8:28). Remember, our definition of good and His are frequently different. His view of our good is that we be conformed to the image of Christ and that takes a life-time of experiences.

Another truth that we need to keep in mind is that God will not allow us to be tested above what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13). So when we are in the midst of something difficult we should not tell ourselves, “This is too much; I can’t handle it.” That would be a lie and an insult to God’s faithfulness in keeping promises.

We need to remind ourselves of the truth that even though worry is a sin, all sins for believers have been forgiven in Christ. His perfect obedience and perfect trust and zero anxiety have all been credited to us. Whereas all of our worry and fretting have been credited to Him and He died because of those and all other sins.

Another necessary focus is the truth that worry never solves anything (Matthew 6:27,34). If we are facing a problem and some decision we make can put us on the path to solving it, then we should take those steps if they are wise and prayerfully considered. But if there is nothing that can be done, then worrying does not help.

God’s goal is our growth in Christ-likeness for His glory. This is almost always achieved through trials of various kinds. Paul wrote, “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;” (Romans 5:3, NKJV). He goes on to show how perseverance leads to character and a whole list of other traits that God is working to build into our lives. James 1:2 and 1 Peter 1:6-7 say almost the same thing.

In addition, God uses others in the body of Christ to help encourage one another. In order to be of help to someone else going through some trial, God may permit a similar trial in your life so that you can be of help to others (2 Corinthians 1:3; 8:14). While this might not be a pleasant thought, we need to remember what God is doing in the world for His glory. God is gradually changing us so that we think like He does. And that kind of thinking may involve gladly and peacefully accepting a trial knowing that we can then encourage a brother or sister in their distress.

Finally, in all of this we need to practice thankfulness and contentment. Paul writes to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Philippians 4:6, NKJV). Developing a thankful heart is an important key in defeating worry. No matter what we have to worry about, we should thank God for all of the other blessings we have in life. Focusing on those will make the problems seem smaller.

In Philippians 4, Paul also writes about the fact that he had learned to be content in all circumstances. If we are content, we are not worrying about our circumstances. It was because he had learned to be content that Paul would write, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). Contentment and thankfulness are closely intertwined with each other. If we are truly thankful for all that God has provided for us in our current circumstances, we will be content with those circumstances. When we are content, we are not anxious or worried about changes that may occur in our circumstances. Hebrews 13:5 tells us to be content with the things we have for He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The truth of God’s constant presence and care is the assurance that we are being cared for and thus contentment can be ours.

So even though worry and anxiety are not an easy foe to defeat, it is possible if we focus on the Truth – the truth about God’s character, the truth about God’s motives and design, God’s faithfulness to His promises and the truth of what we are becoming as He does His work in us for His glory.