1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
God does not change like a shifting shadow. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. He is a good God whose eyes are on the righteous, and He listens to their cry. He will deliver them out of all their adversities and tribulations. He is merciful, kind, and gracious.
We must be convinced that God would have sent Jesus to die for us on the cross to redeem us from our sins even if we were the only person on earth. We can share everything in our lives with Him because He cares for us—there is nothing too small or insignificant to God. He wants us to be in daily fellowship with Him because He has restored our relationship with Him through the blood of Jesus.
Though we still have to deal with our flesh and are not perfect yet, He has chosen to see us as righteous in Christ through the positional truth that He has given us through all the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. This positional truth of being accepted in the Beloved and righteous in Christ is to allow all of us to enter the throne of grace to find mercy and help in times of need, which is when we are stressed, anxious, concerned, and burdened by the things in this life. We can rest in His unconditional love, and come to the Abba Father. If God, the Father, did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not willingly give us all things?
Faith in God causes us to approach God to cast our cares to the GREAT I AM. We should choose to cast all our anxieties, worries, and concerns to God. The word “cast” means to throw, place, or unload all the burdens to God. It means we should share with God through prayer everything that has stolen peace and joy from us.
When we are in need, we would naturally seek someone with the means and ability to help us. Likewise, we should seek the face of God and cast our cares on Him, allowing Him to help us with the situation we are facing in life.
God is the Great I AM—the beginning and the end. He is not a created being; He IS. He is Yahweh (YHWH), meaning “the source of all existence”. It emphasises that He is self-existent and eternal.
Who is this “I AM”? This name of God, I AM, is a form of the verb “to be” in the Hebrew language, through which He expresses His self-existence and the unchangeable nature of His character. He transcends the past, the present and the future. He has always been, He is, and He will always be.
Reflection: Have you cast all your cares upon the Lord, or are you trying to resolve them on your own? What situation do you need to surrender to Him right now?
Sermon Series: Are You Casting Your Cares to the Lord
将一切的忧虑卸给神
彼得前书 5:7 你们要将一切的忧虑卸给神,因为他顾念你们。
各样美善的恩赐和各样全备的赏赐都是从神来的,在祂并没有改变,也没有转动的影儿。耶稣基督昨日、今日、一直到永远,是一样的。神就是光,在祂毫无黑暗。 祂是一位美善的神,祂的眼目看顾义人,祂的耳朵听他们的呼求。祂必救度他们脱离一切的苦难与患难。祂是满有怜悯、慈爱与恩典的神。
我们必须深信即使这地球上只剩下你一个人,神依然会派遣耶稣为你钉死在十字架上,将你从罪恶中救赎出来。 我们可以将生命中的点点滴滴都与祂分享,因为祂顾念我们——在神眼中,绝没有任何事是微不足道或无足轻重的。祂渴望我们每天与祂亲密,因为祂已经借着耶稣的宝血,恢复了我们与祂之间的关系。
虽然我们仍要面对肉体的挣扎,也尚未完全,但因着祂在基督里赐给我们的一切属灵福气,祂选择在基督里将我们看为义—这就是祂赐给我们的“地位上的真理”。 这份在“爱子里蒙接纳”且“在基督里称义”的地位真理,使我们众人都能坦然无惧地来到施恩座前,为要得怜恤,蒙恩惠,作随时的帮助—也就是当我们因着这世上的琐事感到压力、焦虑、愁烦和重担缠身的时候。我们可以安息在祂无条件的爱里,来到阿爸父面前。神—这位慈爱的父亲—既不爱惜自己的儿子,为我们众人舍了,岂不也把万物和祂一同白白地赐给我们吗?
对神的信心会驱使我们亲近神,将我们的重担卸给这位伟大的“自有永有者”(I AM)。 我们应当选择将一切的焦虑、忧虑和愁烦都卸给神。“卸”这个词的意思是把所有的重担抛给、交托或卸给神。这意味着我们应当借着祷告,将一切夺走我们平安与喜乐的事向神倾心吐意。
当我们身处缺乏与需要中时,很自然会去寻找有能力、有办法帮助我们的人。同样地,我们更应当寻求神的随在,将我们的忧虑卸给祂,任由祂在我们的生命境遇中施展拯救。
神是那伟大的“我是”—是首先的,也是末后的。 祂不是被造之物;祂本就存在。祂是耶和华,意思是“一切存在的源头”。这强调了祂是自有永有、直到永远的神。
这位“我是”究竟是谁? 上帝的这个名字“我是”,是希伯来语中动词“是”的一种形式,神借此宣告了祂的自有永有以及祂属性的永不改变。祂超越过去、现在与未来。祂昨日在、今日在,以后也永在。
默想:你是否已经将你一切的重担都卸给了主,还是仍旧试图靠着自己去解决?此时此刻,有哪些具体的境遇是你迫切需要全然向祂交托、完全顺服的?
讲章系列:你是否将你的忧虑交托给主?
