Booze, Worry, and Eternity

I'm a drunk. At least, comparatively I am. In Luke 21:34, Jesus equates drunkenness and worry. They are the same. How? They pull our focus from what is real.

When someone is drunk, they are intoxicated with alcohol. Alcohol has control over them and they do not act according to reality. People do all kinds of stupid (and harmful) things when drunk, because they are not thinking clearly about reality.

When someone worries, they are intoxicated with the cares of this life. The cares of this life have control over them and they do not live according to eternity. People do all kinds of stupid (and sinful) things when they worry, because they are not thinking clearly about eternity.

By the grace of God, I have never been drunk. Fortunately, my perspective of reality has never been blurred by drunkenness.

By the grace of God, I am putting to death the sin of worry. Unfortunately, my perspective of eternity has been blurred by worry.

I worry about what people think of me. I worry about not finding a wife. I worry about not being good enough at my job. I worry about finishing school. I worry about the students in the youth group, if they will grow or if Satan will snatch away the seed.

The problem? Worry takes my perspective off of eternity and places it on me in the temporary.

I live to please God, not people. God will supply all my needs. It is God who works in me to will and to act according to His good purpose. It is God who knows the beginning and the end. It is God who is faithful to complete the work He started.

The verse implies that worry starts in our heart. Our hearts get weighed down and we worry. Our hearts care about this life. Our hearts seek the hand of God rather than the face of God. Our hearts are wicked and can't see eternity.

To Do List:

1 Guard my heart

2 Watch what I care about

3 Foster an affection for Jesus

4 Repent of an affection for yourself

What am I going to do with all the time I used to spend worrying?

Jesus tells us what to do instead of worrying: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)