Not even An Inch!
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Yesterday was quite stressful. My plate was full and overflowing with a lot of work: plenty school work, class group meeting, lectures, a medical checkup and a lot of job work too! To crown it all, one of the boys deleted his zoom to install a game, and was having a hard time installing it back, and was missing the classes; and the young girl could not even enter her online class! Meanwhile, I had to publish the devotionals too!
But by the time I finished the lectures in the evening, I realized all the issues had been resolved. I don’t know how, but somehow, one-by-one, they all got resolved!
In an intro class to psychology recently, the lecturer spoke about Eysenck’s three dimensions of personalities. He spoke about extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism. And in elaborating, he said neurotics are those that life’s challenges affect greatly; or are not able to handle life situations well; and that psychosis is an extreme form of neurosis and leads to lack of empathy, cruelty and excessive aggression.
He said although some stress is good for us to stay productive, extreme and sustained stress can lead to psychosis. It happens all around us, where someone undergoes some extreme life event, and just goes off!
It is the reason we have to manage our stress.
Stress comes when we are overwhelmed by life’s challenges. There are some issues we can handle, and there are some we cannot handle. We need to know the difference and not try to handle issues that we cannot handle.
One way I manage my stress is to pray for God’s help, and believe He has heard me and will help me. It has worked for me countless times, including yesterday.
One scripture text that strongly drives home the futility of worry is Luke 12:25-26.
READ Luke 12:25-26
“Can any of you make himself an inch taller however much he worries about it? And if you can’t manage a little thing like this, why do you worry about anything else?”
(Luke 12:25-26 J.D. Phillip’s New Testament)
This chapter contains 59 verses and Jesus spoke about many things: including hypocrisy, fear of God, denying Him before men, the parable of the rich fool, the faithful and evil servant, discerning the times, and making peace with adversaries.
But in the middle somewhere, Jesus might have seen worry on the disciples’ faces; because he suddenly switched to talk about worry (vv. 22-34)
So He started by saying:
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. “ (vv. 22)
But our focus in this devotional is what He said in verse 25-26: basically saying, however much they worried; they could not even make themselves “an inch taller”! Then He said, if they cannot manage a “little” thing like that, why do they worry about anything else?
Increasing the height by an inch, a little thing? That is instructive!
But Jesus is simply trying to redirect their focus, and ours, to the one who created us; who added all the feet and inches to our height till now: the Lord Almighty!
The Lord, He is able to do anything; and He is the one we need to go to with our burdens. He is the one we need to trust!
He is our ever present help. Let us never forget this.
MEMORY VERSE
“God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
QUESTIONS
1. Are you stressing over many things, and even at a break-point?
2. Do you know that what you are stressing about is very small to the One who created you?
PRAYER TIP
Almighty Father, help us to remember that You are our ever present help.
URGENT CALL
By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!
But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance if you want to make that decision.
We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page.
God richly bless you
SPECIAL GRATITUDE
Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website.
We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.
We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.
God richly bless you.
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