By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read: Luke 12:22-34

The Rev. Ron Purkey

“And [Jesus] said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on” (Luke 12:22).

First, Worry is destructive. The word translated “anxious” in Luke 12:22 means “to be torn apart,” and the phrase “doubtful mind” (Luke 12:29) means “to be held in suspense.” It is the picture of a ship being tossed in a storm.

Our English word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that means “to strangle.”

Second, Worry is also deceptive. It gives us a false view of life, of itself, and of God. Worry convinces us that life is made up of what we eat and what we wear.

We get so concerned about the means that we totally forget about the end, which is to glorify God (Matthew 6:33). There is a great difference between making a living and making a life.

Worry even blinds us to itself. We can get to the place where we actually think that worry accomplishes good things in our lives!

In Luke 12:25, Jesus pointed out that our worries do not add one extra minute to our lives (Psalm 39:5) or one extra inch to our height. The rich farmer’s fretting certainly did not lengthen his life! Instead of adding to our lives, our worries take away from our lives. People can worry themselves into the hospital or into the grave!

Third, Worry is deformative. It keeps us from growing and it makes us like the unsaved in the world (Luke 12:30). In short, worry is unchristian; worry is a sin.

How can we witness to a lost world and encourage them to put faith in Jesus Christ if we ourselves are doubting God and worrying? Is it not inconsistent to preach faith and yet not practice it?

The late chaplain of the United States Senate, Peter Marshall, once prayed “that ulcers would not become the badge of our faith.” Too often they are!

How do we win over worry? The first step is to realize that God knows our needs, so we can trust him to meet them.

We are sheep in His little flock, children in his family, and servants in his kingdom; and He will see to it that our needs are fully met. It is his pleasure to give us his kingdom, so will he not give us everything that we need? (see Romans 8:32)

The main question is, “Where is your heart?” If our hearts are fixed on the transient things of earth, then we will always worry. But if we are fixed on the eternal, then God’s peace will guard our minds and hearts (Philippians 4:6-9).

We must “hang loose” when it comes to this world’s goods, and be willing even to sell what we have in order to help others (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35). It is not wrong to own things so long as things do not own us.

Read Ron Purkey’s Bible study outlines free at rcpbibleoutlines.com. Purkey has been an ordained Baptist minister for 50 years.