Sunday, February 5, 2012

He Cares

2-5-2012 by Boyd Bailey

He Cares


“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

God cares about you. He cares about your job. He cares about your fears. He cares about your wife. He cares about your husband. He cares about your children. He cares about your parents. He cares about your worries. He cares about your finances. He cares about your car and your house. He also cares about your character.

He cares about you caring about Him and caring for others. He is a caring God. You cannot out-care God. His capacity to care is infinite, and His competence to care is matchless. You can care because He cares. There is no care of yours that God does not care about. If it is important to you, then God cares about it.

Yes, you will experience misdirected cares. But God’s desire is to come along side you and realign your cares with what He cares about the most. This is the beauty of your caring heavenly Father. He cares enough to bear your anxieties and to replace them with His peace and assurance. When you give God your worries, you in turn receive His calming presence. God’s system of care is countercultural. God transforms your cares into what He cares about. However, there is one word of caution.

Be careful and do not fall into the comparison trap. Your measurement on how to behave is not another person’s measurement. We all have our struggles with sin and life. God has wired us all differently. Equally, spiritual people may cast their cares on God in polar opposite ways. One may find release in a quiet, written prayer, while another may feel cared for by God through lively worship. Let another’s processing of anxiety be a guide and not a guilty comparison.

You know that God cares immensely, so how do you cast your cares on
Him? By faith, you let Him care. It is all about trust. He cares and He can be trusted, therefore allow Him to do what He does best. You allow Him to care for you. This does take humility on your part. You are acknowledging a desperate need for God.

Your declaration of dependence is two-fold. First, you admit you are anxious and that you can’t handle your worry alone. And second, you submit to the fact that only God can handle this level of concern. Hence, your submission to God allows His care to consume your anxieties. This is a process. Your care giving to God is recurring. Over time He helps bring your feeble faith and misguided mind into focus on Him. What started as a burden, He transforms into a blessing. Pain becomes productive.

You become free to care for others, because you have been freely cared for by Him. Your perspective takes on a heavenly flavor. Do not wait until matters get worse before you off-load your cares on God. Go to God first, because He cares the most. Let bad news travel fast, because He already knows. A carefree attitude is cultivated by resting in an all-caring God. The more you allow Him to care about your worries, the less you have to care. Then you can focus your cares on people and eternal issues. Let God be consumed with your cares, so that you are not. Then you are positioned to care for others.

You can lead others to your all-caring Christ. Care for them like Jesus. Your care will lead to His care. This is the beauty of the circle of care. You do it right, and they will want your God. You care for others, and they will want the God that cares for you. Keep your caring Christ-centered. You care because He cares. You can care because you have let Him care for you. Keep the circle of care rotating. Do not grow weary of caring. He doesn’t. He cares for you. Therefore, give Him your cares and experience His care. He is your #1 caregiver!

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