A Call To The Remnant

It is not only wrong to worry, it is real infidelity-because it means we do no believe God can look after the little practical details of our lives. Notice what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us. The devil? No, cares of this world. That is how infidelity begins. It is the “little foxes that spoil the vines,” always the little worries. The great cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit of God. Refuse to be swamped by the cares of this world, cut out non-essentials and continually revise your relationship to God and see that you are concentrated absolutely on Him (Oswald Chambers)

Notice how Chambers uses the word infidelity? Adultery by any other name. It is offensive is it not to think that not trusting God in the little things are the first steps of unfaithfulness? If I smile at a woman in my office and the smile leads to small talk and the small talk leads to deeper talks which leads to lunch and then in the moment of “weakness,” or “crisis,’ it leads to the bedroom, then the adultery is complete. Adultery has to start somewhere. And without a doubt there is a still small voice saying “do not go down this road.”

So, if a smile can lead to adultery ( I am not advocating not smiling or talking to people) can we see that to be anxious, to worry about the little things are the first steps in the building blocks of unfaithfulness? Jesus Himself says through the Word that we are to be “anxious for nothing.’ Think about that. Not a suggestion but a command. Does it stagger your mind that it is possible to be “anxious for nothing?” And what are we told to do instead of being anxious? “But in everything (note that word everything) by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.” (Php 4:6)

All of what we are commanded to do is predicated upon thanksgiving. In that state of thanksgiving as we come before the Lord, as we walk down the narrow path of this life with our Glorious companion, we can walk in a peace that surpasses understanding. This place must be “entered in.” This gift of peace must be possessed. This possession can only truly be grasped by those who seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all those “other things,” are the little foxes that spoil the vine. Foxes are sneaky and stealthy, they move quietly among the tall grass as they hone in on their target. Not a big predator by any means, but a spoiler of the “vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)

We are the vines in this example brothers and sisters. And our grapes are tender, our faith, not yet fully established. Would you like to be anxious free? Then the little worries must be dealt with. We must see them for what they are. We must not normalize them or rationalize them. We do that, don’t we? We hang onto them. Dare I say that we embrace them as our own. Any notion of putting them away is usually met by scoffing and scorn, and that typically from our own hearts. The first step towards possessing this peace is to recognize out little worries as infidelity. We cannot move on until we see that. Once we see it, once it is brought into the light of our minds then there is no question about it, it must go.

There is a place where we have ceased from our own works and entered into His rest. Let us lay hold of it. An eternal sabbath day. Rest, to lay down in the palm of His hand. To be anxious for nothing. To the heavy laden Jesus says “I will give you rest.” Do you have that rest? Have you reached out and received that rest? It awaits thee brothers and sisters at the hand of God. Be faithful to Him in the little things, meaning trust Him in the little things, the little worries, commit yourself to Him in all these little things and you shall serve only one Master. Be faithful to Jesus, everything else is infidelity.