Daily Stress

Study Passages: Philippians 4:4-5; 1Thessalonians 5:16-18; Ephesians 1:3

Has stress taken over your life?

Our society has placed so many demands on us that it often feels like all we are doing is making decisions. We are constantly bombarded with images and criteria that we must measure up to in order to feel loved and valuable. Everything from our dress size to the kind of car we drive is under scrutiny. We are evaluated based on if we are democrat or republican, tall or short, rich or poor, married or single, educated or uneducated.

Our tensions seem to multiply on a daily basis causing us to lose the joy and pleasure of living (Philippians 4:4-5; 1Thessalonians 5:16-18).

In many cases God is not making any of these demands. It is not that we cannot experience joy, because we are blessed with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). It is the external pressures in our lives, as determined by the world’s standards, blocking our internal joy from being experienced each day.

For example, there was a young man that owned a 1976 Buick Electra 225. Although an older car, it drove well yet he was not happy. He was embarrassed and did not want to be seen driving it. He completely missed the blessing that it was paid for and he owned a vehicle that ran without any major problems.

Why let the pressure of what others think determine your happiness? The only pressure we should be experiencing should be from the molding done at the hands of the Potter (Jeremiah 18:4-6).

Consider Colossians 3:1-4:
“If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Luke 12:22-23; 25-26 states;
“And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for {your} life, {as to} what you shall eat; nor for your body, {as to} what you shall put on. For life are more than food, and the body than clothing. And which of you by being anxious can add a {single} cubit to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters?”