September 15, 2021 BOTH AND
Luke 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”
Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; not yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?’
1 Timothy 5:8 “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and purity that is toward Christ.”
I assure you that I do not have all the answers on today’s subject; however, I believe it is an important to gain understanding in this issue. We read verses like the ones above, and at a casual glance, we might conclude that they are contradictory. On the one hand, we see it is a part of life to plan and to build, and we see that we are called to provide-and you might say, to be about the normal things of life. At the same time we are to ‘take no thought for what we will eat or what we will wear,’ and we are admonished not to lose or turn away from the simplicity that is in Christ. It sounds logical to say that in the work place, and in this fallen world in which we live, where difficulties seem to be the norm, life is not simple. Is it really possible for believers to go through life with all of its difficulties and challenges and yet live ‘stress-free’ with a simplistic view of living under the Lordship of Christ? I believe so. Do not misunderstand; we will face difficulties, but it is all about how we view difficulties and how we respond to them. (Another subject-but if we are expecting a trouble-free life, we are in for a big disappointment.) I think it boils down to love and trust; do we love God and do we trust Him as our Lord and Savior. Do we trust that God is working out His purposes even in the most difficult circumstances. It must be said that to love God, is to keep His commandments; if we chose to walk according to our ways, then we cease to live the life that God has for us-and we lose the ‘simplicity in Christ,’ and life becomes complicated. So, yes we are to be about life and be about doing the things that need to be done-but we are to do what we do with a mind-set of being followers of Christ, living as unto Him in the good times and in the difficult times, and having our full trust in Him. A key verse dealing with this issue is Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Having our minds focused on the simplicity found in Christ does not mean that we never face major issues and complicated issues, but it does mean that we do so trusting Him for wisdom and then moving ahead.) Let us know that the life God gives is unlike the life that the world promotes; the life God gives is a life of purpose, peace, simplicity, and confidence that God is our Father and He is guiding our steps and equipping us and making us sufficient for whatever we face in life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
Blessings, Buddy
RSS Feed