Fretting doesn’t avert trouble, it just exacerbates it.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).
“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?”
Michel de Saint-Pierre
To walk by faith is to live optimistically. It means believing that because God is always good, there will always be something good in everything He allows. So, the next time you catch yourself blowing out a light, or choosing to look only at the down side, ask yourself where is the faith in your response to your circumstances.
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20).
Robert Crosby distinguished between “grace-robbers” and “grace-givers.” He types “grace-robbers” into three categories:
1. Some are PESSIMISTS—their negative words and carping spirit destroys others;
2. Some are PERFECTIONISTS—they set up others and themselves for failure;
3. Some are PEDAGOGUES—they are our resident know-it-alls who can do no wrong.
Robert C. Crosby is senior pastor of the Christian Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. He has written for Focus on the Family magazine, Christian Parenting Today, New Man, and Discipleship Journal.
All three rob us of grace by hindering our joy and freedom in Christ. The pessimist does this by undermining our faith in a God who can work in any set of circumstances. The perfectionist does this by causing us to forget that we are whole in Christ. The pedagogue does this by pretending they don't need God's grace.
Let us live in such a way that our words, attitudes and actions impart grace to everyone we meet, believer and unbeliever alike. This is the ONLY way we can be true to the Gospel of Grace and to the salvation we have received!
"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone" (Colosians 4:6).
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