JoySample

DAY 6: THE WORRIES OF THIS LIFE

In Mark 4:19, the Bible describes worry as one of the things that can choke the word of God in your life⎯ killing the joy, faith, and peace that it produces⎯ making it unfruitful. The worries of this world cause our heart to be divided and confused. Think of the things mentioned in this verse and how they affect our hearts and minds: 

For one, the deceitfulness of wealth. We lose so much joy when we worry about money and are driven by greed. The illusion is that money and material possessions will make us happy, when in reality only God can fill the void in our hearts. So often we worry about not having the things we want and how those things are going to make us look in front of the people around us. But wealth, as stated in this verse, is deceitful. The only thing we achieve by worrying about it, is to choke the word of God that actually has the power to prosper us. 

In this verse, Jesus also mentions desires for other things. Here, I believe He is referring to the constant desire we have for things other than the presence of God. The Bible teaches us that in His presence there is fullness of joy. This means our joy is complete and lacking nothing as we draw nearer to our Creator. Yet, the world tells us that we will be satisfied when we look better, have more friends, and make all of our problems go away. 

So, we hope that a relationship, a career, a pill or a bottle can make us happy but do not realize these things do not produce fullness of joy. They can make us happy temporarily, but ultimately they will leave us wanting. 

Psalm 103:5 tells us that God “satisfies our desires with good things,” and that when He does so our youth is renewed. He has the power to satisfy us with things that are good rather than harmful. Things that we don’t have to go crazy chasing because we get them simply by coming to Him. In Him, we find freedom from the worries of this world. Our job is to learn to seek Him before we begin to worry about wealth and all the other things that rob us of our peace. When we do this, He fills us with joy and renews our “youth:” our strength, our vigor, and our energy.

Thoughts for Meditation:

Have you ever tried reading the word of God, but found it unfruitful? Have you ever let worry keep the word from giving fruit in your life? Even now, are you struggling to chase after wealth or the things of this world? 

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, help me when the worries of this world threaten to choke the joy my life. Keep my heart from being divided. Protect me from desires for things that will not satisfy me, and help me to desire you, above all things. For you alone can satisfy my soul, and give me joy.