The Cares of Life—For Some a Daily Challenge; For Others A Frequent Distraction

From a general, let’s say, secular standpoint, the cares of life (or cares of this world as interpreted by some Bible translations) are the many elements of everyday living that consume and occupy much of our focus. I would say that jobs, careers, children, relationships; issues and things of everyday life that crop-up out of nowhere like car repairs, illnesses, financial problems, the daily grind of tasks and responsibilities, all fit the bill for what I mean when I refer to the cares of modern-day 21st century life.

The cares of this world, or the cares of this life, are those things—those events, conditions, activities and aspects of life–that “choke-out” the delivered Word of our Elohim that should be operating in each of our lives and that cause us to be “unfruitful.”

The Spirit that is dwelling within each of us tells us that we must not allow the cares of this world to overtake, control or hinder our walk with Messiah. Nevertheless, the cares of life have disproportionately more occasion than naught to overtake, control and hinder our walk with Messiah; and that’s just not the way our life in Messiah should ever be. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us are too tied and influenced by our flesh to not be a constant victim to the cares of this world. What did Master say: “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41)?”

The Cares of Life Embodied in the Parable of the Sower

The concept of the cares of life is in great part embodied in “The Parable of the Sower.” Although primarily addressing the various states of would-be believers in receipt of the delivered Word of Yahuah, I believe that the principles contained in this parable certainly apply to our topic at hand.

Consider the parable of the sower:

The same day went Yahoshua out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Mat 13:1-9 KJV)

Verse 7 of this passage provides us a slight glimpse into the detrimental nature of the cares of life. Master contends, as we will more clearly see explained in verse 22, that the cares of this life have the natural tendency of “choking-out” the spiritual life of a would-be believer. Let’s continue reading:

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.1

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

(Mat 13:18-23 KJV)

Clearly Master understood how the cares of this life or of this world can adversely affect the life of any would be believer or disciple of His.

So in what forms and influences do the cares of life take?

• Relationships (i.e., marital; work; community; faith community; business; and family)
• Our day-to-day responsibilities
• Our finances
• Our health or the health concerns of loved ones
• Careers
• The material aspects of life, according to the NET Study Bible
• According to Master, even the deceitfulness of riches

Is it no wonder why so many of us in the Faith suffer so many problems and are constantly marginalized and made ineffective by these situations? Individually and collectively, these are focus and time consuming elements.

The Cares of Life and the Sermon on the Mount

Classic artist rendering of the Sermon on the Mount

The concept of the cares of this world or the cares of life and how it detracts from our daily focus and walk is gloriously touched upon, although not mentioned by name by our Master, in the famously named: Sermon on the Mount. Although taught extensively in the Sunday Schools and pulpits of our Christian denominational past, most of us remember or focus on the very first portion of this amazing teaching where Master goes through the list of kingdom traits: meekness, poorness of spirit, humbleness, teachableness, righteousness, mercifulness, peacemakers and purity of heart; all essential traits for the disciple of Messiah. Nevertheless, possessing and living out such traits are easily overshadowed by the cares of this life. And I believe that Master inherently knew this; He knew the audience that sat before Him on that hillside; He knew the lifestyles and the difficulties and hardships that the average Palestinian Jew of the first-century faced each day of their lives: widespread poverty; political and military oppression from the Romans and a corrupt Herodian governorship; oppression from their religion, Judaism; and of course every conceivable socio-economic ill and corruption one could or would expect in any bustling city or state. Life was amazingly difficult for the average Palestinian Jew and our 21st-century life challenges would easily pale in comparison.

Sakari Häkkinen wrote on the challenges of 1st century life in palestine.

Sakari Häkkinen is a professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. As it relates to the socio-economic system of the first-century Palestinian Jew, he writes in his research paper entitled: Poverty in the first-century Galilee:

The social and economic policy of the Roman Empire could well be summarised in a phrase: ‘the Roman system of inequality’ (Garnsey & Saller 1987:125).1 Governing the entire Mediterranean world, Rome maintained its domination through judicial institutions developing legislation concerning property ownership and labour control – and through the use of brutal force. The whole system was based heavily on the inequality of people, which was thought to be either natural or at least inevitable, in order to secure peace and stability in the society.

For the Roman State, the provinces were a main source of revenue through taxes. A small number of Romans made large fortunes as provincial governors, tax collectors and moneylenders in the provinces, in the imperial service under the emperors. There were rich Romans who acquired extensive domains in the provinces, which they normally held as absentee landlords (Finley 1999:158). Most of the population of the empire lived either in rural areas or small towns. Only 10% – 15% of the population lived in cities that had more than 10 000 inhabitants. This means that some 80% – 90% got their living from agriculture and that any large-scale commercial or manufacturing activity was rare. There was no middle class at all. The majority of people in an agrarian society like the Roman Empire were peasants, living in villages that surrounded a city. The ancient city was largely parasitic on its surrounding villages. Cities extracted agricultural surpluses through taxes and rents. The benefits they supplied were cultic services and administration (Kloppenborg Verbin 2000:234).2

Interestingly enough, Yeshua, the brilliant teacher and Master that He is, addressed this socio-economic quagmire head-on:

24 No one can be slave to two masters; for he will either hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and money.

25 “Therefore, I tell you, don’t worry about your life – what you will eat or drink; or about your body – what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds flying about! They neither plant nor harvest, nor do they gather food into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they are?

27 Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?

28 “And why be anxious about clothing? Think about the fields of wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread,

29 yet I tell you that not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these.

30 If this is how God clothes grass in the field – which is here today and gone tomorrow, thrown in an oven – won’t he much more clothe you? What little trust you have!

31 “So don’t be anxious, asking, ‘What will we eat?,’ ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘How will we be clothed?’

32 For it is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all.

33 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Don’t worry about tomorrow – tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris (i.e., problems; challenges) already!

(Mat 6:24-34 CJB)

The Difficulties in Gaining Control of the Cares of Life

I would not be so presumptuous to suggest that Spirit-Filled Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua will not go through stuff or experience the deleterious effects that the cares of this world can have on Father’s elect. We all experience such things and we, depending upon what level of spiritual maturity we find ourselves, handle the situations accordingly or consistent with our level of spiritual maturity.

Nevertheless, we should be compelled to learn and grow from our clashes with the cares of life. For if we continue day-after-day, month-after-month, and year-after-year to allow the cares of life to overtake us and compromise our effectiveness as Yeshua’s disciples, it would seem that we may “have a problem Houston.”

The Weakness of the Flesh Dictates How We Deal with Life

Consider for a moment this nugget—this construct of truth if you will. The cares of life, although seemingly pervasive and at times overwhelming, are fluid and in many cases fleeting. They’re here today and gone tomorrow. Nevertheless, along comes another issue or element to consume us and we find ourselves back in the same rut yet again. The carnival ride of life—of this world—generally has no time and place whereby we can get off and get our feet back on solid ground. Indeed, off to the side, there is a door marked in big red letters—EXIT—but we tend to get so caught up with the intensity of the ride we are on—that is the overwhelming nature of the experience that has imprisoned our thoughts, hearts and bodies–that we’re too “afraid” (for lack of a better descriptor) to simply demand to be let off that ride/experience and then take the exit that leads back to our life in Messiah.

Yet the pursuit of money, careers, fame and fortune often leads to temptations, perversions and personal and spiritual destruction. This of course is not to say that we should not work hard to provide for our families. Our efforts to advance in life must be managed by Father—He will provide for all our needs according to His riches in glory by Yeshua Messiah (Phillipians 4:19.)

Caustic and troublesome relationships will consume and rob us of our joy. Yes, I’m talking about troublesome marriages and other family relationships. Somehow those things must be moderated and subjugated to the will of Father. The longer we allow those relationships to eclipse our focus on Him and consume our spirit, the harder it it is to recover. I’m speaking from experience here. Unhealthy relationships are poisonous and detrimental to one’s walk with Messiah. They must somehow be dealt with.

Politics, financial difficulties, health concerns: they all must be dealt with once and for all through prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).

Think about it: the specific cares that you and I may be dealing with today will likely become non-issues and forgotten in the days, months and years ahead. Everything that we worry over and stress about will inevitably come to its proper end in due time. Half the time we don’t even have control over those cares in the first place. Yet at the end of the day, Yahuah remains the only eternal constant in the universe. Somehow we have to be able to put life into its proper perspective and not allow the troublesome things, issues and people in life to get in the way of our eternal destiny and calling. Again, we inherently know this to be Truth, yet so many of us are incapable of actually realizing and living this thing out as we know that it should be. Thus it stands to reason that the one thing that hinders us from living out this Truth and putting life into its proper perspective is the weakness of our flesh. Our spirit-woman or man tells us: you can do this; you can overcome, but our carnal nature tells our spirit that life is just too difficult and impossible to overcome.

Yeshua’s soul wrestled with the reality of His pending death at Mount Gathsemane.

Who can forget the Garden of Gethsemane scene where Master was enduring the greatest internal struggles of His earthly life and ministry: He was dealing with the reality of His impending ignominious torture and death and His humanity had begun to overshadow His Spirit. His companions had all but checked out over by the way, succumbing to the weaknesses of their flesh and falling fast asleep, leaving Master to languish in his internal struggles all alone. Yes, even Master had to deal with the cares of this world in one form or another. The passage reads:

 36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

(Mat 26:36-41 KJV)

Master overcame his struggle simply by turning it over to the will of His Father. He said: “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The example painted by the disciples: they succumbed to their flesh and slept when their Master needed their support the most.

The Cares of Life and Operating in the Spirit

Sometimes we just don’t want to face the reality of our flesh and subjugate it to the will of our Father. Is it a question of faith? Or is it a question of us feeling more comfortable living out our present situation than relegating those cares to the will and control of Father? I know that many times, when I’m going through the slings and arrows of life, I feel as though I can handle the situation better than Father can—which is a stupid thing to feel, but do not our actions reveal the reality of our spirit—whatever spirit we are working under at the moment?

Operating in the Spirit is an entirely new and uncertain realm for most of us. We can’t see, smell, taste or hear in this realm. Our natural senses do not comfortably serve us in the spirit realm as they do in the carnal realm.

Yet, in order for us to overcome the adverse affects of this world and of life in general, we absolutely must make that transition from the carnal to the spiritual, with the ultimate aim of the Spirit realm being the default realm that we choose to operate in.

A decision has to be made at some point in our walk: will it be about Him or will it be about me? We all know what the correct answer must be: it must be about Him. Ultimately our purpose in the whole scheme of things is to deny self and set out on that march—that race—that journey—that transcends any of the great adventures of man throughout history. The cares of this life cannot impede this journey; for this is a calling that transcends those cares. And you know what: when we are able to properly deal with the cares of life through the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Ruach Kodesh) operating in our lives, we become exceptional husbands, wives, fathers, children, bosses, employees, neighbors and people. I desperately want that for my life.

Paul wrote:

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision (i.e., the mutilators; the false circumcisers).

3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

(Phi 3:2-16 KJV)

How Do We Overcome the Cares of Life

So I asked myself: how do I overcome this thing? How do I overcome the cares of this life? It’s one thing to know and understand that I must pray, fast and power through life, but it’s an entirely different thing to actually live this out and not succumb to this fleshly tendency to allow the cares take over. There must be an overriding fix to this perpetual problem; some secret but powerful method to overcoming life’s many challenges; to staying focused; to defaulting to living in the Spirit as opposed to living in the flesh. What is that? What could that be?

As I searched the Bible for answers to these questions, the Spirit led me to what I believe to be the answer (or at least a potential answer): that being adopting, maintaining and exercising “The Mind of Messiah.”

The Mind of Messiah—A Must for Overcoming the Cares of Life

The “Mind of Messiah” (in the KJV, “Mind of Christ) is a concept found but one place in the Bible, at the end of a dissertation on the subject of “wisdom,” by the Apostle Paul. The passage reads:

6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.1

16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.1

(1Co 2:6-16 KJV)

Concepts such as wisdom, the wisdom of God, the world tomorrow, the spirit of this world, the Spirit of God, man’s wisdom, spiritual things, the natural man, spiritual discernment, and of course, the mind of Messiah are essential to our spiritual wellbeing and our ability to overcome the cares of life.

Closing Thoughts and Reflections

The concept of adopting, maintaining and exercising a “Mind of Messiah” is not a concept that I would dare to explore and reflect upon during the remaining moments of this episode—the content is just too vast and important for me to rush through it. So what I would like to do is stop here and pick this topic up next episode—Abba willing. That way I can cover more ground without extending the length of time for this episode further, as well as it will provide me a few days to allow my spirit to connect and understand this concept even better than I already do.