Within a split second, I started thinking about what God expects of us when the Holy Spirit reminded me again that God expects us to live "care-free-ly" not carelessly.
I decided to put it down and went a step further to dig into the Word - so you know what I'm about to say is scriptural. I remember that I was very delighted the first time (many years ago) when I found similar sets of verses on this subject in both the Old and New Testament.
Psalm 55:22 says: Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (NIV) and then 1 Peter 5:7 also says: Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified) I also like the way The Message translates this verse: Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
In essence, we should not carry our cares by ourselves - just hand them over in faith to our God Who cares for us. However, the Bible warns us to: Keep the rules and keep your life; careless living kills.* So we cannot ignore or disobey God and expect His care...
Our brother Paul expands on this: "Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.** Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.***
Our deeds and words are equally important - Jesus said: "I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken."****
In being carefree, we must care about our lives...
...& be careful not to live or speak carelessly.
References:
*Prov 19:16 - The Message
**Eph 5: 15-16 -NIV
***Eph 5: 17 - The Message
****Matt 12:36 - Contemporary English Version
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