Counsel on Life’s Adventure

God is a God of adventures. 

Our verse for today is Luke 2: verses 1 and 3.

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register.”

It was a difficult adventure for a young man to take his expecting wife on an eighty-mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was over rough and dangerous terrain. Reading the story of Mary and Joseph teaches us that hard journeys can have great lessons.

Lesson 1. God surprises us in our adventure.

If the God’s son were going to come to earth don’t you think He would come in a palace? But no, God had Jesus born in a tiny town called Bethlehem to a carpenter and his teenage wife.

Lesson 2. Man does not always know whether an adventure will be good.

Can’t you imagine the consternation of Mary and Joseph, when they heard that he had to make the difficult journey with a pregnant wife? Though now we know that the trip was necessary, they may have thought it was a bad idea. God knew what was best. He still knows.

Joseph and Mary didn’t argue or complain. 

When faced with hard adventures, one only needs to make sure what God’s will is and then do it. You should realize it is an adventure and that God works through your them. 

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Counsel on Worry

Counseling on Worry

Our text for today is Matthew 6:34. 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.”

Mark Twain once said, “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” This quote reminds us that much of our worry stems from imagined scenarios that never come to pass.

In Matthew 6, Jesus explains why worry is both unnecessary and unproductive.

First, He reminds us of our incredible worth to God. In verse 26, Jesus points to the birds of the air, which neither sow nor reap yet are cared for daily by the Father. If God provides for the birds, how much more will He care for us?

Worry questions God’s love and provision, suggesting perhaps He is not fully attentive to our needs. But Jesus assures us this is far from the truth.

Second, Jesus emphasizes the futility of worry. In verse 27, He asks, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Worry solves nothing. Instead, it drains our energy and steals our peace. It shifts our focus from what we can do today to the fears of tomorrow, leaving us paralyzed and ineffective.

Corrie ten Boom expressed it well: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.”

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.