I ended a conversation with a friend by saying, “take care.” Her response to me was, “I will not take care because the Word says to cast all my care on Him.” The verse she stated is correct. 1 Peter 5:7 states, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.”  The Greek word care in this verse is “merimna” it is derived from a word that means to “divide the mind.” It denotes, distractions, worries, anxieties, and burdens. All of these negative emotions cause our mind not to be focused but wandering on things that are just too much for us to handle or figure out; which can weigh us down and cause us to become ill, depressed and lose precious time.

Peter is admonishing his audience to put the responsibility of every kind of thing that we tend to worry about, fret over, and be anxious for on the Lord, the One who is concerned about us. He knows our needs and what we can handle and what is too much for us to bear. Peter is saying, stop worrying over these things and trust God for them.

On the other hand, when I made the salutation, like many of us, do, “take care,” we are saying in essence, be sure to look out for or “care for” your daily concerns. Be mindful and watchful of your normal or day-to-day activities and routines. As a matter of fact, right after Peter tells us to cast our care, in verse 8, he tells us to “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

So, from this latter verse, we do have some things that we need to “care” about. We should take care to be always alert of our enemy and his tactics. He would love for us not to “care” for our bodies so that he can attack us with diseases. He will rejoice if we neglect to pay our bills (fail to care for) so that we will lose our properties. Our enemy would be delighted for us not to pay attention to (care for) our spiritual lives so that he can gain the upper hand.

My friend, God certainly does want us to lay on Him the things that would be burdensome for us, but He has also given us the responsibility and authority to “care for” specific areas of our lives. He will not take care of that which He has given us the power to deal with. So, be mindful to take care of:

Your health

Get rest

Use wisdom in your daily activities

Nurture your spiritual needs

Provide for the needs of your children and the elderly

There are so many other areas that we need to “care for” if we are going to live a wholesome life. So, let God care for the things you cannot handle and shouldn’t fret over and you, my friend, “take care” of the things that are within your influence.

Take Care! I am outta here!

Posted by on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 @ 12:53AM
Categories: Inspirational