Worrying solves nothing, but it usually makes things worse. For example, if we worry about giving a good life to our family this may lead us to be anxious about our work, leading us to spend more time at work than we should, and resulting in children who grow up without the presence of their parents, with the side effects that it entails.

We know that worrying is not good, but it seems inevitable. So what’s the solution? The solution is to learn to live each day at a time making sure to always make time to sit at the feet of Jesus.

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, “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 10:38-42

Though this might seem like an unrelated example, the reality is that often we live as Marta; worries keep us from enjoying the most important thing: a relationship with our God.

God designed us and knows how we feel, and better yet, He knows how to make us live fully.

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on … “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. – Matthew 6:25-33

If we sit longer at the feet of Jesus, we would need less time at the feet of psychiatrists and psychologists.  If we sit longer at Jesus’ feet we would be less dependent on medications to control our anxiety.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. – Matthew 6:34

Each day brings its own situations. Worrying about tomorrow only complicates today. Knowing this, I invite you to exchange the time you spend worrying with time at the feet of Jesus: He knows how to make you get the best part, and once you get it no worries will take it away from you.

It’s good to be an informed buyer. The idea is to have all the details needed to choose the best alternative. Going through this process becomes more important for large investments.

If it’s important to make decisions about the things we buy, how much more important is to decide about our eternal destiny?

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. – Colossians 3:2-3

There are only two alternatives available for eternity: eternal damnation or eternal life. Unfortunately, doing nothing means choosing eternal damnation, as

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23a

Damnation is also the option that we choose when we put our mind on things of the earth.

But when we decide to put our minds on things above (God) then we choose the best option: eternal life.

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23b

Sin keeps us in a state of death, but when we receive Christ and let Him take control then the life that was previously hidden is manifested.

Make the most important decision of your life:  follow Christ and receive eternal life.

How do we care for new things?

You do not care for a new car in the same way you do for an old car, but you take care of it with zeal. You don’t leave it open, you avoid pot holes in the road, you keep it shine and clean, and so on. How much more shall we care for our spiritual life.

 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling – Philippians 2:12

A continuous process

Taking care of any investment is a continuous process. In order to keep a new car in good condition frequent maintenance is required.

Salvation is received when we accept Jesus, but in order to stay on the path to salvation we need a continuous relationship with our Lord.

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ – Philippians 1:6

We can be confident that even with all the difficult situations we live, God will continue to work in us until we reach our heavenly home.

The goal

The purpose of a car is to transport us from one place to another. The purpose of the new life we receive in Christ is to transport us from a limited and imperfect life to eternity.

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. – John 3:5

Take care of your greatest investment: your new life in Christ.

Something similar happens to our lives. God wanted to reconcile humanity to himself, so He began the required process. God decided to select all of humanity, and give his Son as the required payment. Since no one meets the specifications we all must go through a process until our lives achieve the design defined by God.

To ensure that a product meets its specifications it must be submitted to various tests. In the case of a car it has to go through tests like the following:

• Speed
• Safety
• Endurance
• Performance
• Handling

Similarly, it is also necessary that we go through testing.

• Safety
  • situations are needed to teach us control (brake tests)
  • we need to go through losses (crash tests) to learn that our protection is in God
  • we must be seen as people in which others can trust (safety belt)
  • we shall be support (airbags) to those in need
• Endurance
  • only those who endure (distance) to the end shall be saved
  • we shall keep our faith when things go wrong (hot temperatures), and when we don’t feel God’s presence (cold temperatures)
  • difficult environments (off-road tests) are required so we can comfort people that go through similar tests
• Handling
  • We have to learn to walk the narrow path (driving in curves) – the only one that leads to eternal life
  • we need to make other feel loved (comfort tests)
  • we have to be the light to help others walk on the right path (visibility)

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:11

Joseph is an example of the testing process. Before the process Joseph was despised by his brothers. During the process he was sold into slavery, slandered and unjustly imprisoned. But the outcome of the process was Joseph as second in command in Egypt, used by God to save many. Joseph is the example of when tests cause insignificant things to become important.

Another example is Jesus. Before the process he was the Son of God. During the process he was despised, mocked, and died on the cross. But the outcome is the Son of God resurrected, glorified, and offering eternal life to mankind. Jesus is the example of when tests turn something good into something much better.

The process is not easy, but in God’s hands our victory is assured.

the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ  – 1 Peter 1:7

He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. - Psalm 40:3

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness – Lamentations 3:23

Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh - Ezekiel 11:19

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind - Isaiah 65:17

When something is no longer useful it should be replaced with something new. A car can be repaired, but it will eventually need to be replaced with a new one. We were dead and worthy of condemnation. We needed something new.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins … But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) - Ephesians 2:1-5

To make a new building the old one needs to be demolished. In our case, we must be born again through a relationship with Jesus.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3

The new birth enables us to change our foundation from temporary and material to spiritual and eternal.

The situations in our lives destroy us little by little, but God in His mercy does not want us to stay that way; He wants to do something new.

And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. – Jeremiah 18:4

Do not settle for the old, receive and enjoy a new life in Christ.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days … and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. – John 11:17-21

Sometimes we do like Martha; we blame God for not having arrived in time. When we have difficult situations we think we know what God is supposed to do to solve our problem.

God always knows what is best for us. In the case of Martha she thought the solution was for Jesus to heal his brother when he was sick. It seems logical, but logic is not always in accordance with the plans and the will of God. The plan of Martha was the miracle of healing, but in the plans of Jesus was a larger sample of the power of God through the resurrection of her brother.

If Jesus had acted according to Marta’s plans there had been a miracle, but all of us would have missed seeing the glory of God manifested by raising Lazarus from the death after four days.

Often, God’s intervention does not happen the way we expected, but even if we don’t understand we can trust that God’s plan for our lives will always be better than ours.

We might not receive the miracle we hoped for, but if we stand firm in the faith we will receive the greatest miracle of all: eternal life. Even Lazarus died again, which eventually will happen to all of us, but our final day in this world will only mean the greater glory of living forever in the presence of our God.

If you feel disappointed because you did not receive what you expected, I invite you to make yours the words of the psalmist: “Why are you downcast, O my soul, Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:5).

Every player on the team needs to try to get on base or advance those players already on base.  The team can fill the bases in every single inning, but apart from improving the batting average, it won’t mean anything unless those men on base are able to reach home.

The same principle can be applied to our lives. We can enjoy every single blessing we receive from God, growing closer to Him with every experience. But no matter how many blessings we receive, it will go all to waste unless we are able to make it to our heavenly home.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.  – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Don’t be left on base.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39

God does not separate anyone from His love. This is demonstrated by the fact that he decided to send his son for us despite our sinful behavior (Romans 5:8). Only we can separate ourselves from His love.

Among the list of the situations included Paul’s letter to the Romans there is one that catches my attention: life. Life does not seem like something that could separate us from the love of God. The truth is that certain lifestyles and how we use our time can get to the point of suffocating our relationship with God, which may eventually have the effect of separating us from the love of God.

If you have experienced the love of God you know that His love is the most valuable thing we can achieve, so do not let anything separate you from that love. Beware that nothing comes between you and the love of God.

I do not think that a believer would dare to throw a Bible to the floor and kick it. Some would consider that a blasphemy, but sometimes our behavior as believers is a greater offense to God that damaging a Bible. This is what happens when we mistreat others, whether believers or not.

We are all important to God.

Mistreating a believer is like trying hurt God, who dwells in the believer.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  – 1 Cor. 3:16

Mistreating an unbeliever is to despise the sacrifice on the cross that Christ did for all mankind.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  – Juan 3:16

Both one and the others are about as important to God. This is a truth we all need to internalize and take into account in our relations with others.  After all “love our neighbor” as ourselves is the second greatest commandment (Mark 12:29-31). Even though our neighbor does not treat us with respect we must love them, because we are called to love and bless our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Sometimes relationships with others are not easy, but if we are offended by the idea of someone damaging a Bible, we should be more offended by the idea of ??harming the temple of God by mistreating someone else. If we are offended by the idea that anyone can speak ill of God, so we should be more offended by the idea of mistreating a person for whom Jesus shed his blood.

So in our relationship with others we shall recall that in one way or another they have the touch of God in their lives, and they are as important to God as we are. Doing so will honor God: the one in whom we believe and whom we love.

Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. – 1 Samuel 16:12-13

It’s hard to wait. If we need any consolation we should study the life of King David. He was chosen by God to be king over Israel, but many years passed before he could take possession of the kingdom.

For David the problem was not only the time he waited, but the situations he had to endure while waiting. During that time he was fleeing from King Saul, who wanted to kill him (1 Samuel 19:1). In addition, among other things, he had to act as a crazy man (1 Samuel 21:11-12), leave his land (1 Samuel 22:3), and live in the wilderness (1 Samuel 23:14) in order to save his life. During all that time David was a king without a crown. Worse than that, he was a King pursued as a criminal.

David had opportunities to kill Saul, put an end to the persecution, and claim the crown. However, he decided not to try to “help” God in the fulfillment of the promise.

Like David, we too have a lot of promises, including a crown.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. – James 1:12

We wonder when the waiting time will be over and we will receive what God has promised. We long for the moment at which the situations we have endured will just be past experiences. Sometimes we are tempted to “help” God in the fulfillment of our promises, but this can only have the effect of increase the waiting time.

Waiting is not easy, but just as David received his promise, we will see the fulfillment of God’s promises. In addition, the same way that the Spirit of God was with David from the time when he was anointed, the Holy Spirit is with us and will never leave us.

We will not receive a crown on earth. Like David, we are kings without crowns. But if we remain steadfast, we will receive our crown and reign with Him in eternity (2 Timothy 2:12). Meanwhile let us patiently wait on God, trusting that He will give us strength, and He will enable us to follow the path that remains to reclaim our crowns.