BE NOT ANXIOUS by L. A. R.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 26, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 20.

BE NOT ANXIOUS

By L. A. R.

Anxiety and Fear May Be Put Away—God's Great Care for Each One

"Ye can not serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious." The word "therefore" in this statement of Christ's connects anxiety with the service of mammon. He who accepts the service of any false god takes with it the spirit of anxiety and of dread. Christ also assures us that he who is anxious for this life is serving not God but mammon. He who serves mammon does not serve God, for "ye can not serve God and mammon."

NO ANXIETY WITH SERVICE

He who is anxious does not serve God, for he has partaken of the spirit of the world, "the spirit of bondage again to fear." "Perfect love casteth out fear." To worry is to doubt God, and "he that believeth not is condemned." "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Christ, before He went away, left His peace with us; and the peace of God that passes understanding does keep the mind and the heart of the faithful through Christ Jesus. "Great peace have they that love Thy law."

THE CURE FOR ANXIETY

The one cure for anxiety is faith. Speculation or reasoning is not sufficient. The greatest minds in the world have speculated and reasoned, and have finally said that God is unknown and unknowable. But faith smiles at the wisdom of the wise, and looks up with confidence and calls God "Father." "The world by wisdom knew not God," but God sends His Spirit into our hearts, "crying, Abba, Father." Care is justifiable, but anxiety never. If a surgeon is about to perform an operation, we are glad to know he will use care and caution; but were he anxious, that would trouble us, for we would know there was something he was afraid of, in spite of all his skill. And it is this fear or dread that smites us with a harrowing feeling, and it is what God does not wish us to have.

RELATION OF CARE AND ANXIETY

Care is proper; anxiety is improper. Care will make the eye single, the hand steady, and the foot firm; but anxiety will cloud the vision, put a tremor into the nerves, and cause us to stumble in our way. Anxiety shortens life, embitters, and does not sweeten. Anxiety breeds disease, and kills by the burden that it imposes. Anxiety never steadied the money market. It never filled or ripened an ear of corn. There isn't a promise in the Bible made to anxiety. There are promises to diligence, to prudence, to faith, to hope, to trust, but not one to anxiety. Care in the good sense—that is, caution, or full use of the faculties—is proper; but care in the bad sense—that is, dread and anxiety—is not proper. This sort of care we are told to cast upon the Lord—"casting all your care [anxiety] upon Him; for He careth for you."

THE IMPRESSIVE OBJECT-LESSON

And then, in order to appeal to the mind, to touch our imagination, and to kindle our faith, Christ refers to nature, to some of the most insignificant things in the world—insignificant at least to us. He tells us that inferior and worthless as these things seem to us, yet they have a proper portion of the divine care. And if God cares for them—that is, the birds and the flowers—we may be assured that He will care for a human soul, which has, through the work of Christ, the possible destiny that stretches with the unlimited life of God. If God so clothe the grass, which to-day is, and to-morrow is burned, will He not do much more for those who through Christ inherit eternity? In the flower, therefore, there is this wonderful thought of God, the divine provision for every creature; and as our eye is down upon the flower, our thought may be upward upon God. Thus the flower becomes the first means by which we are led through nature up to nature's God. We can not think of God clothing the grass, providing for its welfare, making it beautiful, and at the same time forgetting one of His children. It is impossible.