Don’t Worry, Go With God and Be Happy!

Esther 10:3

3 Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants.

What we see here in this verse is how important it is for us to be prepared to do what God has called us to do. Mordecai went from a lowly captive as a Jew in a foreign land to second in command to the king. Not only did Mordecai do well, but the Jews under him did well too. I wonder if any other situations like this ever happened in the Bible? Hmmmm. Let me see if I can find some.

Genesis 41:14, 37-40, 47-49

14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.

37 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

47 As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops. 48 During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities. 49 He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.

Daniel 1:3-6, 17-20

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.

6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

Well that is pretty awesome. It is so great to see what happens when people fully rely on God and aren't concerned with what man can do or say to them. These people would have never been chosen for their positions simply based on their ethnicities. When someone has the blessing of God on them even the unbelievers see it and if they are smart will utilize those who have it. God is faithful and will not let those who embrace His blessing be needlessly destroyed. People may make bad decisions and work against His blessing, but it would not be God who destroyed them. It was of their own free will that it happens, even today. Many who profess to be Christians are not living the way God would want them to. They are wrapped up in their pursuits of the what this world has to offer and get themselves in trouble. The devil isn't probably attacking them as they may profess, they are making the mess themselves and need to repent and turn back to God's ways and His plan for their lives.

As we saw in these stories, those who were true to the calling on their lives were rewarded by God then man. I would much rather get my rewards from God than from man any day of the week. God's rewards are eternal and mans rewards will eventually go away. When we invest ourselves, our time, our energy, our finances into God's Kingdom and His plans, we are truly investing in things that will last forever. When we invest ourselves into God's plan for our lives He is going to make sure that we are taken care of. Jesus Himself tells us about this.

Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21, 24-34

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

PRAISE GOD! I don't need to worry about what I am going to eat or drink or what clothes I will wear. God will give me everything I need. I don't need to worry about anything because when I worry I show my lack of faith in God and what He can do for me.

Heavenly Father I thank You today for caring for me enough so that I do not have to worry about anything. You are watching over me and will make sure I have what I need. I promise to be faithful to what You have called me to do and by doing that I know that You will provide for me and my family. When I do get called in front of a king or an unbeliever I will have favor with them and they will want to provide the finances needed to get Your plans for me and my family accomplished. I thank You for being my guide through this life here on earth and I look forward to the day when I will see you face to face and I can live with You forever. Amen.

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved