Anxiety

My wife and I were watching yet another posted video about how bad the world is getting, put up by a fellow Christian. After watching it, her reaction was, “All these posts do is give me anxiety.”

My wife is right. It’s pretty frequent that we come across videos, articles, social media postings, etc., from brothers and sisters in Christ who mean well. Yet, such sharing (a lot of the time), does nothing more than produce anxiety amongst the brethren, just as my wife expressed. I’ve got to be honest. I actually think that much of the anxiety we (brethren) experience, comes from us. A lot of it is self induced.

Whether it’s:

1) The laying of burdens on each other due to imposing our personal convictions on each other.

or

2) The constant pointing out of what’s wrong with the world we live in, and how everything is always getting worse.

All these things really do is just encourage the living by sight, instead of the living by faith (2 Cor 5:7).

Laying Burdens…

1 Corinthians 10:29
“For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?”

Paul asks a great rhetorical question. Here’s the context:

1 Corinthians 10:23-33
““All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

The point is, we (Christians) should be aware of imposing our personal convictions on one another, which then causes anxiety in our brothers and sisters. Paul is right. Our liberty should not be determined by another’s conscience. If we partake in something with thankfulness, then we should not be denounced for such, especially when we give thanks to God for it. Everything should be done to the glory of God, not to the glory of another’s imposed personal conviction. And when a weaker brother is guilty of such imposition, a little discernment on the more mature brother’s part will edify the weaker brother.

The World is Getting Worse and Worse…

2 Timothy 3:1
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.”

Honestly, is it really that shocking that evil is now being called good, and that good is now being called evil? Is this actually an eye opener for any of us? I mean it’s exactly what we should expect, no?

Until our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, makes His return, things are going to remain a bit uncomfortable for us. So, let’s at least consider a more mature reaction to it by avoiding the sounding of alarms whenever things go awry. Don’t the brethren have enough going on in their individual lives which give them anxiety, without the added, self imposed, extras?

Proverbs 12:25
“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.”

Ephesians 4:29
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Godspeed, to the brethren!

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