The Plumbline

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.   (Philippians 4:6-7 MSG) Honestly answer this: When you are faced with the type of things that cause you to worry even a little, is your actual first response to those worries to 'worry' or 'pray'? Honestly, I think most of us might admit it is to worry, then to pray when we finally realize we are worrying! The Apostle Paul experienced some rather tough trials in his time in service to the Lord. He was jailed, brought before magistrates to give an account for his actions, engaged with others in ministry that had a hard time getting along with each other, and he faced physical ailments in his body...just to name a few of...

Instead of worry, we are to pray.  Instead of gloom and doom, we are to praise.  Instead of hatred, we are to walk in love.  In the Bible, there are a whole lot of "instead of" statements.  Sometimes we see them as don't do this, but do this; put off this, put on that; or don't go that way, but follow this path.  Regardless, of the wording, the intent is the same - we are NOT to pursue some course of action and we are to embrace readily another.  I don't think these words are in scripture for pleasant reading - they are instruction which will save us tons of regret if we will just heed them.  Today's "instead of" instruction is that of worry.  It is not "don't worry, be happy", but rather "don't worry, pray".  Too many times, we think if we will just pursue this or that which promises happiness, all our worries will just melt away.  Okay, I gotta ask . . . how's that working for you? Don’t fret or worry. Instead of w...