Who is the man that fears the
Lord? —Psalm 25:12
“The abiding awareness of the
Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total
being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence
of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is
not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding
relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to “live and
move and have our being” in God (Acts 17:28), looking at everything in relation
to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the
forefront of our lives. If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into
our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. […] How can we dare to
be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? […] God will cause
us to “dwell in prosperity,” keeping us at ease, even in the midst of
tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our “life is hidden with Christ
in God” (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of
this abiding companionship with God.” CHAMBERS
Are you familiar with the
phrase “He or she doesn’t have a care in the world.” Meaning that the person seems to be oblivious
to the turmoil that surrounds them. For
most of us, we struggle to not be overcome by that same turmoil. What is at the core of living the “Care-less
Life”? What it is not is our denial of the
turmoil. In the Celebrate Recovery ministry,
there is a phrase “Denial is not a river in Egypt.” Living the “care-less” life does not mean
that you pretend or live in denial that the turmoil does not exist. It is as if, should you admit the turmoil’s existence,
you will be instantly overwhelmed by it, when the truth is, you already are. There is a song, the Great Pretender by the
Platters that describes that condition. “Oh-oh,
yes I'm the great pretender, Pretending that I'm doing well, My need is such I
pretend too much, I'm lonely but no one can tell. Oh-oh, yes I'm the great
pretender, Adrift in a world of my own, I've played the game but to my real
shame … Too real is this feeling of make-believe, Too real when I feel what my
heart can't conceal, Yes I'm the great pretender, Just laughin' and gay like a
clown, I seem to be what I'm not, you see Yes I'm the great pretender.” So many are living a “care-filled” life trying to convince others that they have
it all together.
That is not the life that we
have been saved to. The answer is a
strong relationship with God. The
problem is that we choose to not have it.
If you define your own Christianity.
Your own way of living your new life, you will never live the “care-less”
life. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for
you.” This is the bottom line. I can write these devotions … you can read
them … this is number 1190 … you can read them all … you can read the Bible
front to back … but to no avail if you refuse to trust God and not yourself. Philippians
4:6,7 says not to be anxious about anything by seeking God … and you will
be at peace … you will be care-less even when you are surrounded by very real earthly
reasons to worry and doubt. Let this be your anthem, every day. “Precious Lord
take me hand, lead me on. Help me
stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm through the night Lead me
on to the light. Precious Lord, precious Lord, lead me home. When my way grows
drear, Precious Lord, linger near, When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall . Precious Lord, precious
Lord, lead me home.” CHARLEY
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