Good day
I trust you're doing well.
For today's message I would like to share on what it means to cast our cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). I believe this is something many people may be faced with right now and therefore God has place it on my heart to share the below message:
Let's start off in Mark 4 where Jesus speaks about the parable of the soils. In it He mentions that "the sower sows the word" (Mark 4:14) and He explains that the heart of man can find itself in different stages with regards to the condition of the heart (referred to as soil in the parable and the word of God is seed). It illustrates how important the heart/soil of man is because the issue is not with the seed but with the soil. If the soil isn't conducive then the seed can't produce, no matter how spectacular or powerful the seed may be, it is powerless to produce what it needs to unless it can be cultivated in the right conditions ... and one of the areas that Jesus identifies as causing an issue/hindering the productivity of the word of God in our lives, is the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches. Let's read the passage below:
Mark 4:14-20
The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Jesus speaks about cares/worries in the below passages as well:
Matthew 6:25-27
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Luke 12:29-31
And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
Now of course many people are in different places financially and we don't make light of anyone's needs, so we know that the above is not saying that we shouldn't give thought to what we're going to eat or wear, etc. because that would just be irresponsible and negligent, but it is saying that we shouldn't allow ourselves to worry and be anxious about these things, where it consumes our mind and our focus, to the point where all our attention is fixed on these things and it comes at the expense of our time and focus on God. There's a difference between given thought to something and allowing that thing to cause us to lose sleep and give us stress. This is what Jesus is bringing to our attention. That our focus should not be consumed by the things because God knows that we need these things but rather that our focus remains on Him as our source and sustainer. (This isn't always easy but it is something we are encouraged to do based on the word of God)
One of the ways that the Bible encourages us to handle our cares/worries is to cast them upon God. I would like to share the below that I found on the following link which I thought explained it quite well: (https://blog.kcm.org/5-ways-to-cast-your-cares-on-jesus)
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
"In 1 Peter 5:6-7, God tells us that it takes humility to cast our cares on Him. What is humility? Contrary to what some may think, true humility is not believing you are unworthy to receive God’s care. Instead, it’s humbling yourself under His mighty hand—the Word of God, and putting it first place (rather than what you think about a situation).
Thinking you have to solve your own problems is also false humility. Remember, when you carry the care, you work, and God rests. When He carries the care because you have cast it on Him, He works, and you rest.
When you humble yourself before God and cast your cares on Him, you're submitting to Him and acknowledging that He has more wisdom and power to handle your situation than you do. You have released yourself and your life to God, trusting Him and obeying His every command. Anything less is pride.
Also notice in 1 Peter 5:6-7, He doesn’t say to cast 75% of your care on Him or everything except worry for your kids. Furthermore, He did not say, “everything but your finances.” No, God clearly instructs us to cast every single worry out of our thinking, and roll them all over onto Him. When you do this, you are humbling yourself before Him, and you can expect Him to go to work on your behalf and exalt you in due time.
Here’s an illustration that will help you learn how to cast your cares on Jesus. Let’s say you were standing about 20 feet away from someone. If you tossed the keys to your automobile to that person, those keys still exist, but you don’t have them anymore.
That’s what we need to do with our cares. We must cast them over on the Lord and not take them back! If Satan brings a worried thought to your mind, saying, “What if…,” then you can tell him to talk to God about it. It is in His hands, not yours!
You’ll no longer be tying God’s hands by worrying. His power can begin to operate because you’ve acted in faith and cast your cares on Him!"
... and the way we do this is by prayer:
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In addition to the above, when we say that we're taking the position of casting our cares upon the Lord, what else are we seeking to do?
We're choosing to fix our thoughts:
Philippians 4:8
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
We do so by choosing to meditate on the word of God:
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
This also means choosing to watch the company we keep because being around the wrong voices/influencers can also negatively affect our thinking and outlook towards our situation:
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].
It also means that we continually seek to place our trust in God and not our own ability or strength:
Jeremiah 17:5-8
This is what the Lord says:"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Finally, I believe that we ought to align our way of thinking about the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches/wealth with the outlook that Jesus has put forward below:
Luke 12:4-48
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?” The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Amen