This morning I felt like reading from Luke's Gospel, and as always, in my reading I found verses that apply directly to my present situation. Here are the verses I am reflecting upon - Luke 12:22-34 NIV:
[22] "Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. [24] Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! [25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ? [26] Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
[27] “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you---you of little faith! [29] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
[32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
One of my first thoughts, after reading these passages, was how interesting it is that so little has changed since Jesus lived on earth. If I were to quickly classify the commercials on TV, it is amazing how many of them are directed at food, clothing and possessions. Jesus' statement that "the pagan world runs after all such things" made me stop and check my heart! How much time do I think about, plan my day around, or worry about my possessions, my next meal, or my clothing? The Greek word used by Luke for worry is merimnao and it means dealing with cares or anxiety. One of the original root words is merizo and it means divide or separate into parts. So, Jesus' point appears to be that if we are divided in our focus, our attention and our pursuits, we will have a hard time following after the Lord, for we are constantly turning our attention to other things.
I would say that Jesus is spot on in His statement, for this is exactly my experience. I find my attention and focus on the Lord is easily distracted and it usually happens as my life gets busy and becomes filled up with other concerns. I am presently going through job transition and I find myself looking to my own strength and plans in my thoughts. I start to worry, and when I do, I start to doubt God's plan, purpose and provision. Rather than doubling down on my turning to the Lord, listening to what He is saying, letting His previous words to me settle my mind and heart, I instead start thinking what I can do, and start leaning into my own strength.
In Jeremiah 17, the Lord, through the prophet makes a very interesting comparison that has consistently been my anchor in life. Here are the verses - Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV:
[5] "This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
[6] That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
[7] “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
[8] They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
The theme of these verses is trust and focus. If we trust in man, in our own strength, than our focus becomes distracted and turns away from the Lord. It is interesting to note that in verse 6, the Lord says that prosperity will come , but the one trusting in their own strength won't see it. I think that is because they are looking in the opposite direction. In the end, their dwelling place becomes parched desert, absent of the water of life. It is interesting that the Lord describes this life as a bush in the desert. Bushes there are generally stunted, have very little if any fruit, and are generally very dry - not a nice sounding image for a life.
The Lord contrasts the earlier statement with one who continues to trust in the Lord. The Lord says this person is like a tree planted by the water. Generally trees planted by water are tall and green, full of lush vegetation and visible to all around (think Palm covered Oasis in the middle of the desert, or Cottonwoods growing in the middle of the great plains of America) The Lord says that heat and drought still come, but instead of turning an area into parched dessert, and causing the bush to be stunted, the tree continues to grow, be nourished and produce fruit!
I know I would much rather be the tree planted by the water, and according to the Lord, it is all the result of our trust and focus. If we trust the Lord, turning to Him, we become like the tree planted by the water. If we trust in ourselves and turn away from Him, we become like the desert bush.
Going back to the verses from Luke's Gospel, Jesus appears to be revealing the heart of the Father as it relates to focus and trust. He says that the Father is fully intending to provide everything we need, food, clothes, and possessions. We don't need to worry about these things, for it is part of His nature and character to provide and care for those things that He has created. The greater invitation is to embrace the Lord, turn our attention to the things He is focused upon (His Kingdom) and have confidence in Him. He knows what we need to live, and what we need to fulfill His Kingdom purposes, and plans to provide those things. He is after our heart, and wants to be our sole focus and the only one we turn to.
If we can train our hearts and minds to turn toward the Lord, rather than away from the Lord, than our life will be filled with the necessary provision and freedom from worry, for our identity and purpose become anchored in God and His abilities, not our own. Jesus goes on and encourages even greater freedom, by selling one's possessions and giving to the poor. Having recently down-sized our house and possessions, I can say this definitely works. We have less to be concerned with, our house requires less upkeep and less time to care for it, so we are more free to do other things with our time and money. It gave us great joy to give many of our possessions to those in need, and to the poor through several excellent charities. We were blessed to be able to be a blessing to others.
Finally, the Lord's desire for us all is to understand His heart for us. He desires to bless, and He says that He is pleased to give us the Kingdom! The Greek word used by Luke in recording Jesus' words, saying the Father is pleased to "give us" the Kingdom, is the word Eudokeo. It means one's good pleasure, or that one has chosen gladly. Think about that for a moment - the Father has chosen gladly to give us the KINGDOM, His KINGDOM! If we could wrap our head fully around this statement and learn to live from this place, we would never worry, never doubt and live a life that is full of His Life!
Oh Lord, help me to understand and embrace this invitation, and turn my eyes and heart fully to You, regardless of the circumstances and situation I find myself in! You are a good, good Father and are worthy of all my trust. Help me to not be distracted by lesser things and other concerns.
Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment