The Godliness of Surrender (I Peter 5:7)

Complete trust displayed: It is important that we take all your cares to Jesus.  The Greek word for “cast” is “EPIRRHIPTO” which means to throw upon or to place upon.  We should not seek to hold onto those “cares” and we should give them to Jesus as fast as we can as he is the only one that can handle them.  I Peter 5:7a “Casting all your care upon him.”  It order to transport hazardous material you must have the hazmat endorsement on your CDL license.  You also must have a clear criminal record as well or you will not be approved.  We are not able to handle the cares and burdens ourselves and we would easily sink under the load.  The word “care” means or anxieties, worries and fears.  We need to make sure we are diligent to follow this admonition we have received.  We can have the peace of God instead of depending on prescription pills to calm us down.  If we don’t learn to cast our cares on Jesus, we will never humble ourselves before him.  Remember there is a strong connection between verse 6 and 7.

The focus on prayer: Worry is a poison and it will kill our prayer life if we let it get rooted in our life.  Philippians 4:6-7 (6) “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Do not be full of worry, but take everything to God in prayer and leave it with him.  There is no situation that God cannot handle we must learn to trust him with everything.  For us to cling to something in worry and fear is absolutely foolish.  For us to think we need to hang on to our worries when we can give them all to Jesus is foolish.  His peace and calmness can flood our soul, encourage our spirit and help our focus to be on him.  We must learn to pray more and worry less.  The peace of God should be present in our life as we look to Jesus in all things.

The focus on prevention: The mind of every believer needs to be filtered with the Word of God and what we think is very important and we must put our emotions under the control of scripture.  Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  To not do that will breed instability and help immaturity, worry and fear to flourish.  We must control what goes in our mind and we must have a biblical framework in our thinking.  The world's philosophy is bankrupt and we must never embrace it as a Christian.  By structuring our thought life after this verse we can filter out all the bad things that would negatively affect our thinking and hurt us spiritually.  We need to apply the filter of Philippians 4:8 to our heart and mind.  We must see if this is authentic (“true”) so we must determine if it is real or fake.  We must see if it is accurate (“honest”) to determine if it is a fair representation of the truth.  Then we need to make an assessment (“just”) to see if it is a fair treatment of the subject or person.  We must ask is it acceptable (“pure”) as it needs to be wholesome.  We have to determine if it is adorable (“lovely”) and see if it encourages respect.  We must see what kind of advertisement (“good report”) it gives and we should analyze if it is encouraging, edifies or provides a warning.  Finally does it promote admiration (“virtue and praise”) and promote the quest for moral excellence.

The focus on purity: If we apply the Word of God to our life then the God of peace shall be with us.  Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”  You cannot ignore the Word of God and except the peace and blessing of God.  Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.”  Those who embrace wickedness will never enjoy the peace of God in their life.

Compassionate tenderness declared: We must never forget that Jesus not only cares for you, but he has the power to heal your hurt and help restore you.  I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”  There are times when are heart is heavy with great grief and the Lord will comfort you during those times.  It is important that we draw close to God and not run from him in our hurt.  That type of twisted logic comes from worldly thinking and we must come to God in surrender looking for his help and strength.  My mom and dad are both gone and my beloved wife of 30 years was taken home to heaven as well.  God has sustained and strengthened me during each of those trials and continues to do so.  Every ministry trial he is there as well.  When the tears flow (and they will) God is always there for us.  Never get bitter or blame God for anything he is always there for you and no one loves you more.  Take all your burdens to the Lord for he loves you greatly.