Monday, January 27, 2025
CAREFREE?
1 Cor 12:25-26
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members
should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one
member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
Luke 10:33-35
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when
he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and
set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave
them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and
whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
What would it be like to be truly carefree? What would it be like to have no anxiety about anything or anyone? Our
first response, I think, is always wrong because we think it would be heavenly.
Upon further contemplation, however, we would discover that we love only
ourselves and that all our pleasant things no longer satisfy us. God built into
each one of us the capacity to care. The first man – even before Eve – was
given the task of naming all the animals and taking care of the
perfectly formed garden. Man without a care is not so carefree after all.
The word and concept of “care” is different in our two
portions this morning. The word used in Corinthians which
talks about mutual care of each other is the Greek word merimnao and means “to be
anxious about or to take thought.” The idea is that someone is on my mind
and that I desire them to be happy, healthy, and well looked after. Now,
imagine that there is nothing or nobody in your heart that causes you to care!
It is hard to wrap your mind around the concept, isn’t it? We care for our
spouses, our children, our friends, and a host of others. It means that we have
the capacity to love someone other than ourselves. Thank God for that!
In the story of the Good Samaritan the word care is the Greek word epimeleomai and means “to minister
to someone physically or practically.” This is when concern springs into
action. It is always costly! The Samaritan cared because he had
compassion. He felt the pain of another. He allowed himself to be
inconvenienced and to suffer a financial loss. It was not an investment
– it was a gift!
God gave us the capacity to care and the energy to do
something about that concern. He knows that when
we minister to others it costs us something physically, psychologically, and
often financially. However, he does not want us to be burdened down
with care. 1 Peter 5:7
invites us to “Cast all our care upon him; for he cares for us.” In this verse
the idea of care is that we are distracted. When it gets too heavy give
it to Him.
Is someone heavily on your mind? Pray for them! Do they have a need? Minister to them in a practical way!
Is it so heavy it is driving you to distraction? Cast it to Jesus!
Dear Lord, I care for many of my friends and loved ones this morning.
When possible, let me minister to them in a practical way. When the burden gets
too heavy, please lift my load. Thank you. AMEN
No comments:
Post a Comment