CAST

 

Write From My Heart

September 5, 2021

NOTE:  For the next several devotions, I will be using ideas from a book I just finished reading. Because I strongly believe in placing credit where credit is due, I would encourage you to read the book for yourselves. I purchased the Kindle version from Amazon; it is:

                   Barnett, Joe. 6 Verses that Can Change Your Life. CrossLink Publishing, 2011.

              Although I do not intend to copy anything, I still want to acknowledge that my writings will be heavily influenced by what I have read and what has helped me to grow in my spiritual life.  Thank you, Dr. Barnett.

CAST to throw; fling; hurl

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

            Quite possibly this was one of the very first Bible verses I learned as a child in Sunday School. You can imagine because of my age that it was the KJV taught and learned. While the NLT version seems more pleasing to the ear, to me it is missing some of the “action”… cast, throw, fling, hurl. In my mind, if you simply drop something nearby, you can always pick it up again. Yet if you cast, throw, fling, hurl then it is too far away and not easily retrieved. In my mind, and yes I have a tendency to picture things vividly, this is exactly what we are supposed to do with all our cares and worries—cast, throw, fling, hurl them away—and do NOT pick them up again. Why? Because God cares about us, and it is not his desire for us to be burdened, but to have peace. It is the peace that sometimes we don’t even grasp, and it is ours when we let go of worries and cares.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.