All...

Two days ago we looked at the first word of a very familiar verse of scripture. It comes from 1 Peter 5:7. The word is "cast."
Here is a quick review of what we learned (at least what I learned).

"Cast" means three things that are all connected. First, it means "to place upon." Second, it means "to throw over. Finally, it means "to bond to." Here is the question, however. What are we going to cast? Glad you asked.

We are going to cast...ALL! All of what? All of your anxiety. Some Bible translations say "cares."

Let me ask you a very blunt question.  What worries you?  What keeps you awake at night?  What do you find yourself thinking about constantly wondering its outcome?  These things are what worry you.

Risking persecution, here are mine.

#1:  Lost Family and Friends
There are several people that are extremely close to me that need Jesus.  Many of them "believe" that God does not even exist.  As you can see, this presents a huge problem.  I worry about the consequences of their beliefs.

#2:  The World
I am very concerned about the world that we live in.  We are under attack.  As a country, we are considering legalizing things like homosexual marriage.  We have doctors who are aborting babies (both unborn & born) by the thousands.  Here is where my worry comes.  If for some reason the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, decides not to return and my 3 boys make it to age 30, what will this world be like?

#3:  Success
Let's be honest, we all want to be successful.  No one sets out to be a complete failure.  I want to have a successful family.  I want to make money.  I want to have a large, broad ministry (if you have problems with this, we can talk).  Therefore, I worry about success.

I have only named a few of mine, but I think you can see that worry is real.  Let me ask you again.  What worries you?  I have got good news about my worries and your worries.

We need to "place them upon," "throw them over to," and "bond them.  We need to take everything that burdens us, worries us, makes us bite are nails over, and cast them.  Where you ask?  This will be the subject we conquer next.

For now, blessings!

Cast...

I ran across a verse today that, if you've been a Christian for any length of time, you should know or at least have heard.  

1 Peter 5:7

 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Have you heard it before?  

I thought so.  

I was doing some studying on this verse today because I really wanted to unpack its meaning.  I think often times we take the familiar scriptures that we have known since childhood for granted.  I think the familiar is often dangerous for this reason. 

For example, have you ever though about the word "cast" or "casting?"  Let's think about what this powerful word really means.  There are three possible meanings that are all connected.

#1:  "To Place Upon"
I recently received the opportunity to speak at a Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study at a nearby assisted living facility.  We were discussing this verse.  Here is the (cheesy) analogy that I used.  If I am standing in the kitchen cooking dinner for my family and I want the food to be placed on the table so that my family can consume it, how is that going to happen?  Can I say, "Food, go to the table?"  No, that is crazy talk and I should be placed in a facility for crazies.  I must pick-up the food carefully and "place it on" the table.  I must "place it upon."

#2:  "To Throw Over"
Have you ever seen someone put out a small fire by throwing something over the fire?  Often times this is something like a wet blanket or dirt or (hopefully) something that will put the fire out.  One is "throwing something over" the fire with the intention of putting it out. 

#3:  "To Bond To"
I have a candy dish in my office that belong to my hero, my Grandma.  At some point in the candy dishes history the lid got broke into two pieces.  My Grandpa, being the "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" that he is glued the lid back together.  To this day, if you come visit me in my office, you can see the huge bead of glue that was require to "bond" the two pieces back together. 

The Candy Dish Mentioned Above

Now, after looking at the meaning of the word "cast," do you see why this is intriguing?  If not, its okay.  We are going to unpack more of the verse tomorrow.  This will help bring this powerful word into sharper focus.  

For now, blessings.