Your Devotion Dictates Your Devotion

Your Devotion Dictates Your Worry

Well, for the next 3 weeks we’re going to talk about worry.

As I look at you all it doesn’t look as if any of you are worried. If we were able to look down into the depths of the soul I may be able to find a worry or two.

Proverbs 14:13
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

We all have the ability to put on our “happy face” and appear “normal”. Despite all of our happy faces down deep we have some real life problems we’re dealing with don’t we. Worry is one of those things that lurks below the surface in all of us.

We all have more to worry about these days because we’re all worried more then ever these days with the financial situation out there. If you watch or read any news at all many are talking about the possibility of a financial collapse, about another great depression, etc. I don’t have any idea what type of worries might be heavy on your heart today. Those things that keep you up at night thinking instead of sleeping. Most of us have real life situations that we can be worrying about.

MetLife, the company I now work for as my weekday job has a new marketing campaign. “for the IF in life”. This is a pretty brilliant campaign because it taps into that part of all of us that worry about the future. We worry about the unknown out there in the future don’t we.

There are different levels of worriers out here today. Some of you don’t worry at all no matter what. Some of your spouses try to get you to worry more. Others worry about everything. You internalize everyone’s problems. You’ve tried to worry less but it just doesn’t work. You can’t get your mind to stop at night because you have a million things on your mind. And the rest are some where in between somewhere but lately probably all of our worry levels have risen. Because if you watch the news at all you’ll get 10 new things to worry about a day.

We’re going to look today at some teachings on worry given almost 2000 years ago but surprisingly these things are still so practical and applicable to us today. And surprisingly worry isn’t anything new. People worried about very similar things 2000 years ago.

We’re going to start off with three questions…

1. Who of you by worry can add a single hour to your life?
2. Who of you have worried so much may have take a year or two off your life? your spouses life? kids life? Worry has a physical effect on us, look at the presidents hair color.
3. Has worry ever helped any situation you’re worrying about get better?

In summary … if worrying can’t extend your life, if worrying shortens your life, and if it can’t help any situation out…why would we ever worry? So why don’t we just stop it! Is it that simple? Usually not. Don’t you love when someone tells you to just stop worrying? You tell them you’re really worried about this situation and they just tell you, well, don’t worry about it…thanks. That’s like someone telling you to try and go to sleep. How do you do that? Same with worry, have you ever tried to stop worrying by stop worrying? It doesn’t work does it. Then you’re worrying about worrying.

So right up front, I want to give you the heart of the message. Jesus says that the things that you’re most devoted to fuel the things that you worry about the most. In other words the things that your most devoted to is the thing that you’ll worry about. Jesus says that I want to take away the mystery of worry to you, the thing that you’re most devoted to is the thing that you’ll worry about the most, those things that keep you up at night.

Here some proof. If you lost your job I would not go home and worry about it. If your kid was doing bad in school I wouldn’t go home and worry about how your kids are doing in school. Do I sit around and worry about your retirement? No. You might say, “you’re not a good pastor!” I would agree with you, I have a cold heart don’t I.

The point is that my worry is tied to my devotion. The things you worry about reflect your core devotion. What if….What if you shifted your devotion? What would happen to all your worry?

We’re going to look at that question next week. But this week we’ll start in verse 24.

24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matt 6:24 When Jesus decided to launch his preeminent discussion on worry with what, money. Money = mamun = stuff. Statistics show that most peoples number one thing that they are worried about is Money. Interesting isn’t it. Jesus is pretty smart, it’s almost as if he knows our hearts.

Money is also the number 1 thing that causes marital problems isn’t it? Why is that? Because what you’re devoted to will be emotional to you. That’s why money is such a hot topic for us because that is where our hearts are at.

Illustration of Ashley buying $200 at walmart. Why was my first reaction such an emotional one? Because that’s where my devotion is. Jesus knows us all too well and that’s why he began this discussion about worry with the topic of money.

Jesus is saying here, you can’t serve God and your stuff. You can like both but you have to decide which one you’re most devoted to. Our hearts make that decision for us don’t they?

This sermon is going to be broken into two parts. We’ll look at the first half this week and then the second half next week. The first half we’re going to focus on 4 negative consequences of worry. And next week we’ll focus on the ultimate solution to worry. How to shift your devotion. Jesus does something remarkable that a lot of these self help books and other things don’t do, he tells us how we can actually stop worrying.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

25 Jesus then takes us into a discussion about that topic of who you’re serving. Therefore, a connecting phrase. I know you’re thinking about what you’re going to eat or wear. I don’t want you to worry about. These were the things that they were worrying about at that time. If he were writing directly to us he would say don’t worry about your health, your job, your 401k, your children’s education. Don’t worry about those uncontrollable details of your life.

Jesus, are you saying that its not important if we eat, have a job, have kids, etc. He’s not saying these things aren’t important but he’s saying you still don’t have to face the uncertainty about tomorrow with worry. Stop worrying. “Is not life more important then food and clothes.” He’s trying to pull us out of our hyper focus on things.

A life lived to the fullest (or the abundant life Jesus came to give us) is more important then whether my kids get into a certain program at school? A life lived to the fullest is bigger then your health? A life lived to the fullest is more important then whether or not your married? Is life more important then whether you health is good?

1. worry keeps you from enjoying what you have. Worry is assuming the responsibilities you can’t handle. Those things that you can’t handle you leave alone. Worry about things you can’t control keeps you from enjoying the life that Jesus came to give us. Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come to give you life and to have life to fullest.” Look at the last part of Jesus’ sermon about worry, 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Worry should not be the characteristic of a Christian. Jesus came to give us a different kind of life that isn’t bogged down by the worries of this world. We should be different, not the same.

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

He goes on…In the midst of all of our worries (list several big ones)…He stops us and how insensitive is this…Look at the birds of the air…what? I don’t have time to look at the birds of the air…I don’t have a job…I don’t have time to look at the birds of the air...i’m scared to death all the time that terrorist are going to attack.

Jesus would say, slow down…look at the birds of the air…stop for a minute and look. They don’t sow and reap, In our day and age he’d say…They don’t have a college education, they don’t have a 401k…he’s saying the birds of the earth really don’t try. They just do things because they want to…they don’t have plans, day timers, blackberrys, mortgages, birds just go with the flow and on instinct. And yet, your heavenly father feeds them.

Here’s the question. Are you not more valuable then the birds of the air. Do you think you are more important then the animals. Remember in creation, he made man and women different, in his image. When he sent a savior into the world he sent a savior to die in the form of humans, not birds.

Do you think he cares more for you then he does more for the birds? Yes

2. worry makes you forget your worth. Makes you feel forgotten or worthless.

I’m telling you why you can face the uncertainties of life without worry b/c God cares for you. I’m telling you why you can face the day without a job. I’m telling you why you can keep moving forward even though you’re scared to death of something bad happening out there.

Pause for a moment and think…what would your life be like without worry? How much freer would your life be? How much better would your relationships be? How much more peaceful would you heart be? How much happier would you be?

If you think I’m making it too simplistic, you think this is too silly, Get super hyperfocused on all those things…can you by worrying today bring certainty to tomorrow. Jesus says, if your worry isn’t going to get you anywhere then take my advice, look at the birds of the air. Really look at them. Look how greatly I take care of them. If God loves them so much don’t you think he loves me even more.

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

3. Worry solves nothing. Do you know why you worry? You worry because at the core it’s about control isn’t it? We want and love to control things don’t we? And we don’t want to let go of our “seeming” control of our problems. When one worry is gone you replace it with another. There are always a line of worries waiting to get in the door. You enjoy entertaining them. Worry will never solve anything. If I was the world champion worrier would I be able to control the outcome of any situation with my worry? NO.

Who are you going to put your trust in? Yourself? Who can do nothing to change tomorrow? Or God who is in total control? I’m going to trust the only one who can do something about my tomorrow.

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Look at the flowers of the field. If God takes care of birds and flowers and they don’t do anything, don’t you believe that God will take care of you.

4. Worry erases the promises of God from your mind. The promise of God is that he will not allow his children to beg for bread. Romans 8:31-32 a promise from God, “31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

We start thinking that God doesn’t care for me. He doesn’t care if I have the baby I’ve always wanted. He doesn’t care if my marriage works out. He doesn’t care if I find the job I’m looking for. Worry erases from you mind that God cares and that he will take care of you. God cares for you more then anything in this world. And he knows what is best for us and we have to trust that he’s all knowing and all caring. But when we worry we erase all these promises of God don’t we?

I know many of you are saying, “I know what you’re saying is right but I just can’t stop. I want to stop and I’ve tried to stop but I just can’t stop.”

When I was in seminary I took a class on psychology and in there I learned that most of our negative behavioral patterns are patterns because when we do something over and over for many years it changes the pathways of our brains. If we worry a lot our brains begin to form patterns of worry. And when we’ve done the same thing for many many years it becomes harder and harder to change those patterns doesn’t it? Some of you have been there. Sometimes it takes a life changing situation to break us out of those patterns. So if we can form negative patterns by doing something negative over and over again we can also reverse those patterns by doing something positive. And the Bible says that we can renew our minds by memorizing the promises of God.

And then you goes right to heart of the issue. O you of little faith?

Jesus is connecting some huge dots here and he’s saying if you’ll connect these dots, step back and look at the big issue here. At the core of worry is you placing your faith not only in these things but also in yourself to control the unknown rather then God.

Worry is a devotion issue. Worry is a faith issue. Worry is a trust issue.

His point is not that these things are important; his point is that you should not put your trust, your faith, and your devotion in these issues.

What if you could wake up every day and you were totally confident God loved you more then the birds and flowers. You would not worry would you. This is a faith issue.

How much better would your life be? Your relationships? Your business? Your church? Your relationship with your kids?

One question to ponder and one practical application:

1. If the emotion of worry is driven by our devotion then here’s the big question. What are you most devoted to? Next week Jesus is going to draw this parallel where he calls us to shift our devotion. If my worry pinpoints my devotion, what am I truly devoted to? Once I really determine what I’m really devoted to, is that really life? that’s why Jesus started the conversation with, you can’t be devoted to your stuff and God.
2. Would you be will to do something once a day…read these verses we’ve talked about and the one’s we’re going to talk about next week. Here is what may happen…God may start to point some things out in your life. God may start to do something permanent in your heart. If jesus commanded us to stop worrying about things in life then we have to assume that there is a way to stop isn’t there. Many of you may be thinking that, I’ve tried to stop before, there’s no way. But if Jesus commanded it there must be a way isn’t there.