Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bible Study: "The Cause and Cure for Worry"

From this week's Bible study at the capitol:

It is estimated that 40 million people in our nation are plagued with some form of anxiety disorder. We are facing a slowing economy, the fall of the stock market, and the loss of many jobs in our state and around the nation. All these have the potential to cause worry and anxiety. We worry about our families, our futures, and our health. For you who serve in politics, plans for the future, close elections, and events in the capitol might be the impetus for worry. We all recognize that worry and anxiety are a constant temptation.

In our passage this week and in our previous study (Matthew 5:6:19-24) we find that Jesus had a great deal to say about the issue of worry, giving us both its cause, and its cure. This passage and our previous passage are closely related. If our treasures are on earth and we are mastered by our desire for material things, then we will certainly have a great deal of anxiety over acquiring and maintaining them. We will worry that moths and rust will destroy; that thieves will break in and steal (or the stock market will crash or we might lose our jobs). However, Jesus tells us that those who belong to His kingdom do not need to be anxious over such things. As a matter of fact He commands His Children, “Do not worry”. He then provides compelling arguments why this is so. I invite you to take a Bible and turn to Matthew 6:25-34 as we study Jesus’ tremendous words on dealing with worry.

Read the complete study.

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