April 2. 2015 YOUR FATHER KNOWS
Luke 12:30-32: “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows you need these things. But seek for His Kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
What Jesus is teaching in Luke 12 cuts to the very core of what we believe and it brings to surface the “trust” issue. Jesus is talking about the basic necessities of life-food and clothing- and in verse 22 He says to His followers: “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.” As Jesus said, the world is full of those who are eagerly seeking for all of these things-the basics, not trusting God. There’s no doubt that stress is an issue that many live with and often the stress is a result of having a focus on acquiring whatever it is we want. We do live in a culture that says that “more and bigger is better.” “Was Jesus really serious?”, some might ask. “And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying.” (verse 29) It’s clear that Jesus is calling his followers- that’s us- to a higher plane of living-a life of trusting our Father for all that we need. Can we really live life not being “anxious” for life? Jesus says we can. This all sounds really good, but how do we do it and what does it look like? It would be absurd, but some may misinterpret what Jesus is saying and quit their job and sit on the back porch waiting on God to provide. It’s clear in scripture that man is called to work so that he may provide for his family and may be in a position to give to those who are in need. A good work ethic and being industrious is certainly in keeping with the ways of God. As mentioned above, the issue at the core of what Jesus is saying is that of trusting God for all that we need. It is very possible to put our trust in our ability to perform at our job and our strong work ethic and it’s possible to put our trust in others for our provision. (Trusting someone in and of itself is not a bad thing.) Our bedrock of trust should be in God himself. God often provides the necessities through a job, but He may provide through some other means-but He does provide. A basic view in life should be that of knowing that all good things come from God and that God, our Father, loves us and will take care of us. Human nature is that we tend to want more and bigger whatever, and this is often the source of undue stress and anxiety. We tend to put high value on acquiring and accumulating, thinking that things will make us happy. It has been said that “less is more”-so true. In contrast to our culture, God calls us to a life of contentment. Being content with what we have is a key to a life free of unhealthy stress and anxiety . It may sound contradictory, but contentment and a desire to improve or advance are not mutually exclusive. The key to contentment is knowing that God is our Father and that He is the one who provides what we need. Knowing in our innermost being that God is our Father sets us free from the culture that tells us that getting more “material” things or more money, will make us happy. There is no greater freedom than knowing that our Father knows what we need and that He will gladly give us what we need. You hear the compassion that Jesus has for His followers when He says: “Do not be afraid little flock”- what comforting words. If it is our desire to know Him and if we seek His kingdom first, God has promised to give us all that we need! There is something about knowing God as Father that produces contentment. Whether we live in a one bedroom apartment or in a mansion, we can experience the contentment that comes from God.
Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply al your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 13:5: “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me.’
Blessings,
Buddy
Luke 12:30-32: “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows you need these things. But seek for His Kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
What Jesus is teaching in Luke 12 cuts to the very core of what we believe and it brings to surface the “trust” issue. Jesus is talking about the basic necessities of life-food and clothing- and in verse 22 He says to His followers: “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.” As Jesus said, the world is full of those who are eagerly seeking for all of these things-the basics, not trusting God. There’s no doubt that stress is an issue that many live with and often the stress is a result of having a focus on acquiring whatever it is we want. We do live in a culture that says that “more and bigger is better.” “Was Jesus really serious?”, some might ask. “And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying.” (verse 29) It’s clear that Jesus is calling his followers- that’s us- to a higher plane of living-a life of trusting our Father for all that we need. Can we really live life not being “anxious” for life? Jesus says we can. This all sounds really good, but how do we do it and what does it look like? It would be absurd, but some may misinterpret what Jesus is saying and quit their job and sit on the back porch waiting on God to provide. It’s clear in scripture that man is called to work so that he may provide for his family and may be in a position to give to those who are in need. A good work ethic and being industrious is certainly in keeping with the ways of God. As mentioned above, the issue at the core of what Jesus is saying is that of trusting God for all that we need. It is very possible to put our trust in our ability to perform at our job and our strong work ethic and it’s possible to put our trust in others for our provision. (Trusting someone in and of itself is not a bad thing.) Our bedrock of trust should be in God himself. God often provides the necessities through a job, but He may provide through some other means-but He does provide. A basic view in life should be that of knowing that all good things come from God and that God, our Father, loves us and will take care of us. Human nature is that we tend to want more and bigger whatever, and this is often the source of undue stress and anxiety. We tend to put high value on acquiring and accumulating, thinking that things will make us happy. It has been said that “less is more”-so true. In contrast to our culture, God calls us to a life of contentment. Being content with what we have is a key to a life free of unhealthy stress and anxiety . It may sound contradictory, but contentment and a desire to improve or advance are not mutually exclusive. The key to contentment is knowing that God is our Father and that He is the one who provides what we need. Knowing in our innermost being that God is our Father sets us free from the culture that tells us that getting more “material” things or more money, will make us happy. There is no greater freedom than knowing that our Father knows what we need and that He will gladly give us what we need. You hear the compassion that Jesus has for His followers when He says: “Do not be afraid little flock”- what comforting words. If it is our desire to know Him and if we seek His kingdom first, God has promised to give us all that we need! There is something about knowing God as Father that produces contentment. Whether we live in a one bedroom apartment or in a mansion, we can experience the contentment that comes from God.
Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply al your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 13:5: “Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me.’
Blessings,
Buddy
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