The Cares of This Life

Entire text for today: Luke 7:31 - Luke 21:38

Luke 21:34

34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drukenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

The cares of this life? How many times do we say I'll read that verse tomorrow, pray a little more tomorrow, go to church tomorrow, because today I have that big project. Today I have to worry about work and if I don't work then I won't be able to take care of my family. Today I need to go to class otherwise I will not be able to have the career that I want.

Jesus was fully aware that it would be in our human nature to put off our spiritual life and focus on the physical world surrounding us. Prior to this verse He describes the coming end of the world and extols the need for us to be prepared for His arrival. Does this mean we should neglect our jobs to be more prayerful? Absolutely not. We are told not to let our hearts be overcharged. What happens when all we do is focus on the things of this world? We tend to become very tired and very drained. At times we may seek outlets to release the stress and these outlets may then take over our hearts. Surfeiting (overeating) and drinking are some of the examples Christ gives but there are many other activities that we may place more value and time. When these things overcome our hearts we are even less likely to focus on the spiritual.

In handling the rigors of our every day lives we should take care to make time for Christ. It is really tempting to focus only on the things of this world but bear in mind, the physical is temporary and handling the stress of life will be easier when we set time aside for the spiritual.

In Christ's Love,
Phoebe Jane