Assurance for Tomorrow!

All my sermons on this passage never got past our inability to serve two masters at the same time – as Luke tells us, “You will hate one and love the other.” -- and the two that I heard Jesus talking about was money or wealth and God. Those who worshiped money or wealth wore the black hats and those who had faith in God instead of wealth wore the white hats. It was as simple as that.

As I sat back in silence, somewhat amused, a new message oozed into awareness. While wealth may well be important, the new message is that we cannot serve both masters that are created within us when we worry. Worry is the focus here. How can we possibly have faith while being worried? Can Jesus be telling us that worry is a signal that we have actually turned away from God?

A woman who had lived long enough to have learned some important truths about life remarked, "I've had a lot of trouble -- most of which never happened!"

My mother was a worrier. In fact, if she didn't have anything to worry about she would worry about not having anything to worry about. If you are a worrier, let me suggest a few things to worry about rather than your routine worries – these are provided by an unknown author:

Your car horn goes off accidentally and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on

William R. Marshall shared this bit of interesting story back in the late 1940s:

“For several years a woman had been having trouble getting to sleep at night because she feared burglars. One night her husband heard a noise in the house, so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he did find a burglar. "Good evening," said the man of the house. "I am pleased to see you. Come upstairs and meet my wife. She has been waiting 10 years to meet you."

Once upon a time, I too fell into the “worry about everything group in life.” Most of my worries had to do with anticipating the next day, week, month, year or eternity. I worried about getting caught, or that I would make the terrible grade earned by not studying.

When people share their worries with me they then to reach into the future for their content. Most of what I hear are things like, “I worry when my children are out of sight...” or “I worry about my children and grandchildren all the time.” or “I worry that I may not have enough money for the future.” There are sorts of worry about what might happen later today or tomorrow.

Another huge life-arena that conjures up worry is our past. We think back to those events in our past that we truly wish had never happened and we bring them right up to the present. We are concerned that others may learn of the dark side of who we are. So many people have said to me, as I have to others, “If you really knew me, you would not be able to even speak to me.”

We worry that someone might uncover the dark side of our past and then what would happen? Why, everyone on the mountaintop and in the valleys around us would soon know the real me and that would be a disaster for certain.

This is a great example of the power of secrets – it keeps the past alive and forces us to be self-protective so that our secrets can remain safe – to ourselves. I happen to be one of those folks who believe we always, without exception, tell our secrets because there is just no way to live with them due to their power. One of the processes of secrets is to bring the past into the present as it flavors the future we bring to the present through worry.

John, a Paulist priest, a great Irish priest specimen of largeness, fiery red hair, and speech made for listening, stood in the door with tears streaming down his cheeks and finding it difficult to breathe. As he leaned against the door frame, I asked, “John, what in the world has happened?” He responded through sobs, “Ben, I feel like I've told someone my deepest darkest secret, they've told everyone in Atlanta and now I can't remember who I told in order to tell them it was just a joke; it was a lie.”

John's agony is the kind of life many people live daily as they attempt to shape their world into a safe and happy one. Worry is an attempt to control that which is beyond our control. It is a way of living that keeps us from focusing upon the Lord.

Jesus states that his followers are not to worry. Yes, he states that we are not to worry. He really puts us on the spot when he says, “Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these.” (Matthew 6:32 CEV) He might as well say to us, “When you worry you're just trying to be God and no one can be God but God. Just who do you think you are attempting to second guess God?”

It is difficult to know what to do when we are so accustomed to worrying. We get into a way of daily life and don't want to turn loose even when it is best.

Often, people say, “Just turn your worries over to God.” People tell me they sincerely do this but then take them back. How are we to stop worrying? Is it even possible?

Let me suggest that rather than turning your worries over to God you turn yourself, your soul, over to God's keeping. That you remind yourself that Jesus tells us that God actually knows our needs and even though what God knows may not look like what we prefer, it is God who can walk us through this life and into the other – beginning now rather than later.

Jesus said it with these words, “But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33 CEV) Rather than turning your worries over to God, get busy doing the work God has for you to do. You don't know what it is that God wants you to do? Let me suggest that your worrying keeps you from hearing those still quiet messages from our Lord. Look around you: your family, your neighbors, your community and identify needs and meet those you can. Look at your church and find the jobs that you resist and stop resisting. Look at ways you can lead members of your church into involvement in situations where help is needed. If you will get busy with God's work you will not worry but instead you will rejoice.

This sounds a little like an attempt to earn one's way into heaven but it isn't. We are called to do God's work and so when we are doing it God becomes our focus. We continue to experience everything any human may experience. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because we are members of the human race. Being good does not build a safe haven where those we love are spared from disease, struggle, pain, and even untimely death. Being good Christians does not protect us from experiencing the life-struggles of unbelievers.

What being Christian does mean is that when these experiences take place we know that we will have God walking with us. The greatest pains of life, such as the death of a child, are shared with our living Lord who promises to be with us until the end. Our anguish and our joy is shared with Jesus and with other Christians.

Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China and founder of what is today known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, gave this excellent advice: "Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God's] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about."

We cannot prevent bad things any more than we can prevent good things in life. However, we can stop worrying by trusting that God is involved directly in our lives. Rather than being an impersonal God living out there somewhere, God is present to be with us in all our experiences in life. Jesus is God. Jesus is God in human form. Jesus had a great deal that he could have worried about, such as: 1) “Are these men and women up to the task?” 2) “Will they ever catch on to who I am?” 3) “Will I be able to stay the course laid out for me?”

I could go on with many worries that Jesus could have held onto but instead he prayed. He focused on God and then was able to face whatever came his way. He, because he has shown the way, can say to us not to worry but to trust God is with us each step we take in life. It is this trust and experience that places us in the Kingdom of God. “Ah, Now, Let's See About Tomorrow!” When we hear these words in our mind or mouth, let's turn to God and say, “God, once again I've decided to serve my worry master rather than you. I need your help. I'm doing all I can to replace you with myself and I'm sorry. Forgive me and hold my hand!” Head for the work God has for you and you will experience the assurance for tomorrow for tomorrow is in God's hands.

Worry, Author unknown, http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/w/worry.htm, 5/12/08.

Ibid.