Cast your care!

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
Casting ALL your care ... Let the phrase sink in. Let it really talk to you. What do you do with your care - your worry, anxiety, fear and confusion? Do you let those thoughts take your joy? Is your worry greater than you peace? Then today's text is for you!
I have had reasons to worry in my life. Things have happened, people have been unfair and rude, and there have been situations where I have had reasons to worry, humanly speaking.
But I am so thankful to God that through it all, He has taught me to cast my care upon Him! How do I do it? The same way you can do it:

1. You see the situation that worries you, thoughts go through your mind and torment you
2. You decide (and that's important, you have to decide) that you don't want to worry. Stamp your foot, if necessary, and say out loud that you don't want to worry any more
3. Fill yourself with God's Word about your situation. God's Word has something to say about every situation we face. Use a concordance, if necessary, and look up at least one or two Scriptures that say something about your situation, and meditate on them. Let them fill your thoughts and your mind, and refuse to open the door for worry and anxiety.

It may take some time, but sooner or later you'll experience that the worry goes away and you become strong in the Lord because of His Word that you have accepted and meditated on. Why? Because "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

God's glory - my glory

"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one" (John17:22).
Have you ever thought about God's glory? When I think of God's glory, I think of smoke, fire, light, awe, reverence, thunder, stillness, miracles, wonders ... the list goes on and on.
And in light of all these wonderful descriptions (and words cannot describe God's glory, so words are just like shadows of the real thing!) Jesus said that God has passed His glory to Jesus (which I can fully understand and accept), and then Jesus has passed the same glory on to us! That's amazing! That's more than my carnal mind can comprehend. It takes heavenly enlightenment to fathom that God's glory resides in me. But it does, according to the Scripture above.
Why did Jesus give us God's glory? So we could boast? So we could "bask in the glory"? So we would have something to be proud about? No, no, no!
Jesus gave us God's glory so we should be one! One with God, one with Jesus, and - and this is very important - one with one another!
And that paints a whole other picture of the situation, because what is God? He has glory, but He is LOVE! And for you and me to be one with Him and with each other, we need to be filled with and walk in His Love!
That leaves boasting, bragging and basking out of the picture, doesn't it? Because
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails" (1 Kor 13,4-8).
These are some of the characteristics of LOVE, God's Love! And if you and I want to be filled with God's glory, which He so lovingly and generously has given us through Jesus, we need to walk in this kind of love.
Difficult? Yes, in our selves. Impossible? No, not through Jesus. It requires, however, that we give up our own, carnal lives, and live HIS life, in love, filled with His Glory!

Help! My tongue ruins me!

"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech" (1 Peter 3:10).
Good days! Who wouldn't enjoy good days? I am sure everybody would like to enjoy good days. But not all people live good lives and enjoy good days. That means there's a discrepancy between the life I can have and the life I actually have. How come?
Today's headline gives us a good answer: My tongue is the culprit. With my tongue I set the course for my life, either good or bad. "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). Or as other translations put it: Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
That's plain and straightforward talk. With my tongue I set the course for my life. I am the administrator of my life, or the chauffeur if you like, and the steering wheel is my tongue.
Where are you heading today? Towards life or towards death? Ask God to show you how to use your tongue to His glory and towards life. He's always there to help, guide and suppport you in your good decisions. Ask Him, and He will help you!