Daily devotion – Anxiety or peace?
The Search for Happiness
The search is still on for so many—for happiness!
The world tells us that happiness can be found in what we have—things, possessions, status. But this is a fallacy. Many people who are wealthy, famous, and healthy are still not truly happy.
The Bible teaches that happiness is found not in what we have, but in who we are—in Christ.
Helen and I have met so many people who are battling anxiety. The Bible gives us insight into this struggle:
“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.”
— Proverbs 12:25
It’s ironic—our modern society seems to have less to worry about than previous generations, and yet we worry more.
Though life is more convenient than it was for our forefathers, we live with constant uneasiness.
Though we have fewer real causes for anxiety, we are inwardly more anxious.
What is the problem?
Much of our anxiousness may be linked to our own doing. Everyone seems to be busy, running on tight schedules. Even our children are struggling to manage all that they’re involved in.
Could it be that we’ve simply bitten off more than we can chew?
Are we spreading ourselves too thin because we’ve packed our lives too full?
Our lives have become complex—overloaded—and at the root of it all is our relationship with God.
We’ve taken control of the reins. Our hands are on the rudder. We’re steering the ship.
And much—so much—of what we are doing needs to be laid aside. That’s the first step.
But how do we work out what to keep and what to cast aside?
How do we discern between what is a wing that lifts us, and what is a weight that drags us down?
The answer is simple, yet challenging:
God is not first in our lives.
You all know the story of the two sisters, Martha and Mary.
Jesus’ words to a busy and anxious Martha are words we each need to take to heart:
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
— Luke 10:41–42
Martha’s life reflects so many of us—anxious, flustered, and overwhelmed.
Jesus revealed to her that she was “worried and troubled about many things.”
Could those words describe your life right now?
Mary, on the other hand, had placed Jesus first.
He was at the center of her life. She focused on the one thing that mattered most—her walk with Christ.
Her life was settled, not anxious. And where do we always find Mary?
At the feet of Jesus.
Today, you can make a massive change in your life.
You can leave behind the anxiety, the stress, the relentless busyness.
The choice is yours.