Pagan Running

June 12

(Luke 12:29-34 NIV) “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. {30} For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. {31} But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. {32} Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. {33} Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. {34} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

(Matthew 6:19-21 NIV) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20} But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

You will find no Christian T-shirts with the slogan, “Life Goes Better With Worry”. Why then, do so many believers live a worried life? When it comes to anxiety many Christians live no differently than the pagans. Jesus taught that the anxiety arising from our perceived lack of stuff is a pagan thought rather than a godly thought. Rather than the mind of God, it demonstrates a mind pursuing false gods, or no god at all. Jesus also taught that no one can add time to their life by worrying. However, worry may subtract days from our life. Christ told His disciples that worry was essentially a lack of faith. People of faith worry less and trust more. People of faith seek God’s kingdom first. People of faith rid themselves of possessions that entangle them. People of faith invest in a purse that will not wear out -- in things that are eternal. People of faith continuously re-evaluate what they treasure, for they realize that’s where their hearts are tied. Are you a person of faith? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day