Borrowing Problems

Pastor Thomas is a retired pastor who spent many years pouring out his life in the "Ghetto" (as he calls it) of Cape Girardeau.  When you get the chance to sit and listen to him talk about the Bible or Jesus or his life or just life in general, you are really blessed and always walk away full.

This past week I got that opportunity.  Just before I walked out the door he said to me, "You need to stop borrowing problems from the future!".  I knew exactly what he was saying and that he is right.  I keep having to learn this simple Biblical  principle over and over!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matthew 6:34

So before I crawled out of bed this morning I prayed:

"Lord, please give me wisdom and grace for this day.  I want to be a good Ambassador for you today, representing your heart everywhere I go and to every person I encounter.  I do not want to be so absorbed with my own problems that I miss opportunities to express your love and concern for others.  Give me grace to trust you with the things that press on my heart and threaten to steal my peace.  Give me grace not to borrow problems from tomorrow but to live in your grace for today.  Amen."

The issue is not how big or urgent my problem may be (or how big it may be in the future) but where is my hope and trust.

I'm going to try to pray that prayer every day before getting out of bed and to leave tomorrow's problems where they belong...to tomorrow.