Why This ‘Petty Sin’ Is Practical Atheism in Disguise

“For these things I suffer, but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

When you’ve got something that is very precious to you, whether it’s rare, expensive or an heirloom, and you don’t want it to be stolen, broken or burned up, you take it to the bank and entrust it to the protection of a safety deposit box.

Even more than a locked box in your bank, whatever you entrust to God, He’s going to take care of. You can count on it. He has a track record. Other people may not have a consistent track record of taking care of things for you. But whatever you entrust to God, He will take care of.

So, what do you need to entrust to God today? I’ll tell you what it is: It’s whatever you’re worrying about. Whatever you’re worrying about, you need to entrust it to the safety deposit box of God’s love.

Worry is practical atheism, because it’s acting like you don’t have a Father in heaven who loves you and who can be trusted, as if you were a spiritual orphan. Worry is unbelief; it’s saying you don’t believe the 6,000 promises God made in the Bible.

The most difficult time for you to put stuff in God’s safety deposit box is when you’re in pain. When you are suffering, you don’t want to trust even God. You want to pull it back and hold it to yourself.

Paul knew this, but he also knew that when you’re in pain, that’s when you need to trust God the most. He said, “I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return” (2 Tim. 1:12, NLT).

I talk to people sometimes who say, “I’m afraid to give my life to Jesus Christ because I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep the commitment.”

Let me just be honest with you: You can’t keep your commitment. You will mess up. Fortunately, your salvation isn’t based on your keeping the commitment. It’s based on Christ keeping his promise and taking care of what you’ve committed to him.

Talk It Over

• What does worry do to your life?
• Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to hold onto your pain than release it to God?
• What do you need to entrust to God today? {eoa}

Rick Warren wrote the New York Timesbest-seller The Purpose Driven Life.His book, The Purpose Driven Church,was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This article originally appeared at pastorrick.com.