Worry is a terrible sin. I know, worry doesn't seem all that terrible. You might say, "I haven't killed anyone." True. But according to Jesus, worry is a fruit of idolatry. Worry is bowing down to the idol of self. Instead of a big Buddha smiling with coins in his lap, we just throw our hearts into the smiling lap of the big idol of worry. Look at what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24-34:
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
“ Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air:they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘ What shall we eat? ’ or ‘ What shall we drink? ’ or ‘ What shall we wear? ’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“ Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Most Bible translations break verses 24 from verses 25 to 34. But you can see that the word "therefore" signifies conclusion. We must not worry because similar to serving God or money, worry is the result of serving something other than money. The more we lose control over our lives, the more we worry. Worry is no different than bowing down to an idol. It is a manifestation of unbelief.
I can recall reading about Martin Luther in the monastery constantly pleading to the Lord for forgiveness of his sins before his gospel revelation. I always wondered what he what he was sorry for since he was stuck in this monastery. But in reading the Sermon on the Mount, you begin to see that all it takes is our own hearts to turn from Jesus. Worry happens to be one of those common, respectable sins that we push aside as no big deal (an issue that Jerry Bridges articulately explains in his book Respectable Sins).
For those who struggle with worry, which is probably anyone who calls himself or herself a human being, I wanted to direct you to this great resource by CCEF. They held an anxiety conference and I know the audio will be worth listening to. If you do order this and listen to it, please comment and let me know what you thought.
I can recall reading about Martin Luther in the monastery constantly pleading to the Lord for forgiveness of his sins before his gospel revelation. I always wondered what he what he was sorry for since he was stuck in this monastery. But in reading the Sermon on the Mount, you begin to see that all it takes is our own hearts to turn from Jesus. Worry happens to be one of those common, respectable sins that we push aside as no big deal (an issue that Jerry Bridges articulately explains in his book Respectable Sins).
For those who struggle with worry, which is probably anyone who calls himself or herself a human being, I wanted to direct you to this great resource by CCEF. They held an anxiety conference and I know the audio will be worth listening to. If you do order this and listen to it, please comment and let me know what you thought.