 |
||
|
Devotion Feeling Out of Control Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. -- 1 Peter 5:7 The writer of today's scripture was Peter, one of the Jesus' twelve disciples. Peter himself is known for making many blunders. Probably the one he is most known for is his denial of his association with the incarcerated Jesus. Not only did he deny him, but he denied Jesus three times!!! How incredibly low Peter must have felt. In John 21:15-17, one of the things Jesus does before He ascends into heaven was to give Peter a mission. This misson was to "Feed my sheep", to tell the lost souls of the world about Jesus and the price he paid for their salvation. It also served as a lesson in forgiveness. Despite Peter and the other disciples desertion, Jesus still cared for them. Peter became one of the great leaders of the newly formed Christian church. As the Christian church grew, those who accepted Christ and followed him were persecuted throughout the land. Anxiety levels were probably high as the new Christians sought out places to worship the Lord freely. Peter often boldy preached the gospel in front of his enemies, the same men responsible for executing Jesus. Now that's some pressure!! In the back of Peter's mind and through the assistance of the Holy Spirit, he knew that no matter how treacherous the circumstances, God cared for him and he would recieve his reward in the end. Life is a maze. There is always some obstacle affecting your pathway. The more you keep running into this obstacle the more anxiety builds. Have you ever been confused, not really understanding what your purpose was in this life? Do you make goals and find yourself not reaching them in a certain amount of time or not at all? For the past eight years I feel like I have, collided with many obstacles or walls. At times I was not sure what direction I was supposed to take. A few weeks ago, I made a drastic career decision. I'm not much of a risk taker, but I felt the Lord was pushing me to move on in the direction that he desired for me career wise. So without knowing what was ahead, I quit one job and took on a clerical temp job and relocated to another city. Well, something happened where I could no longer keep the temp job. When you lose income and have a stack of bills as high as I do, anxiety sets in faster than you can say "Stop". I had an interview the same week I lost the temp job and at the time it did not look very promising. I was at an all-time low. God provided a job for me and it pays well and I am experiencing a new life. My career goals are a lot clearer now because I am following the path that God wants me to follow. There are still trials and tests I will have to go through, but knowing I can cast my anxiety on Him because He cares for me makes all the difference. Are you looking at your problems and letting them eat away at you? When all seems OUT OF CONTROL, God is in PERFECT control.
For permission to reprint this devotion or study in a publication, please contact Tyora Moody at editor@faithwebbin.net or visit her personal Web site, CookieAisle.com.
|
|
|