Do Not Fret!

I cannot imagine a more poignant and applicable command in Scripture for most of us! Three times in Psalm 37 the Psalmist says, “Do not fret.”

What does it mean to fret? The dictionary says, “to cause to suffer emotional strain: vex. To grate, wear away, corrode. To affect something by gnawing or biting. To chafe.”

Basically when we fret about something we are allowing that thing (whatever it is) to gnaw away at our insides. It chafes our soul raw. It grates against our nerves and makes us unhappy and agitated.

The specific situation that David is addressing is fretting because others succeed in their ways. Such success comes because of evil and manipulative scheming, and such “evil men” are not concerned about faithfulness before God and caring compassion toward others.

Do not be envious of those who do wrong—nothing could be more pertinent for us to hear today! God does not want us to look at what others have gotten and envy their treasure trove of possessions and positions that have become their idols.

It is easy to fret, though. Here is what we hear ourselves telling ourselves:

·         Man, did he get a break! I wish I could have the same luck;

·         It is not fair. He got away with murder, and got rich doing it!

·         I wish I had her market savvy. She got rich quick. And no one knows how!

·         Some things got passed under the table without notice. How did they get so lucky?

·         That’s business. Too bad someone got hurt. I envy that unfeeling approach. I am not there yet.

·         How in the world did she get so far ahead? I’ve worked twice as hard. I deserve that position.

·         Keep God out of this. It is cut throat, and you just have to suck it up and be tough.

Each of us can keep on adding to this litany of “envious self-flagellation” that does not honor God.  What is the answer to this? The Psalmist has a two-fold response: realize that “evil men” are going to soon wither away and die; and, trust in the Lord and do good.

Sounds almost too easy. But there is a high price to be paid for fretting. When one’s emotions are rubbed raw, when something gnaws at our insides, when our souls are chafed, and when something grates against our nerves, it is hard to love God and neighbor.

Read this Psalm for yourself. Fretting leads to evil! Such strong language and prohibition against it may catch us off guard. But think of all the ways in which David learned the hard way that fretting does not serve any good purpose!  Do we need to remind ourselves today, “Do not fret?!”

In Christian love, Curtis

Our View of God

In preparation for my fall sermons out of Colossians (Christ in Us, The Hope of Glory), I have been carefully reading through this letter of Paul. Paul’s view of God just from this letter is powerful and insightful for our Christian living today.

·         The Will of God

·         Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

·         Receives prayers and asking

·         He loves the Son

·         He cares enough to rescue us from the dominion of darkness

·         God is invisible

·         God is relational and wants us to be reconciled to him

·         God commissioned Paul to present the word of God in its fullness

·         God has chosen to make known

·         God has power to raise Jesus from the dead, and us from spiritual death.

·         God forgives

·         God makes us alive in Christ

·         God causes the body of believers to grow

·         God has a right hand of power where Jesus sits

·         Our Christian life is hidden with Christ in God

·         The wrath and anger of God is coming upon those who allow their “members that are upon the earth” not to be put to death; in other words, people who have allowed themselves to be guided by their unbridled passions, fulfilling any and every desire without any compunction of conscience.

·         God is the recipient of all expressions of human gratitude

·         God provides open doors for the gospel message

·         God has a will that unfolds and comprises his kingdom on earth

The above major ideas come from the Colossian letter revealing some of the major concepts relative to God’s nature and will and ways on the earth.  It is amazing to me that in such a short letter Paul can address and incorporate all these powerful ideas about God. It seems that for Paul, his practical theology for his readers was always built around the framework of a correct and adequate view of the nature of God.

Perhaps our greatest challenge today as Christians is starting with a view of God that comes from the basis of biblical revelation. If our knowledge, relationship and destiny related to God’s nature are pursued in the right direction, think of how many other things fall naturally into place!

In Christian love, Curtis