No Worries - Luke 12:22-32
#43 of "147: What Jesus Told Us To Do"
Find an introduction here and background here about this devotional series and a full index here.
Week: HAVE FAITH AND DO NOT FEAR
Sunday: No Worries - Luke 12:22-32
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. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 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! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 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. 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! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (NIV - see also Matthew 6:25-34)
George MacDonald said, “No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear.”
Worry
It’s not that worry is so much a sin as it is a waste of time. It’s a sin of omission not commission, if anything. A believer who trusts the Lord could spend that mental and emotional energy on things that matter far more. Because worry just doesn’t work. As Jesus wisely says in vs. 25: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”
What do you waste the most time worrying about?
Consider
To combat worry Jesus tells us to consider the ravens; to consider the flowers. God’s eye truly is on the sparrow. Here we learn the biological theology of Jesus Christ. He believes that God the Father feeds the birds. He believes his Father in Heaven clothes the flowers. Do we? Do we really believe that? Do we believe, as Jesus did, that all the things we’ve been provided are from God in the end? If we do then our worries change, he suggests.
How does this illustration of Jesus change your perspective on God’s provision?
Needs
We also learn from Christ this wonderful truth: we are much more valuable than the birds and the flowers. And we learn something about God: he knows what we need. Jesus provides an alternative way to view all these things, coaching us to understand that the surest guide out of worry is gratefulness. This godly gratefulness is a step of realization that all comes from God and returns to him and that our Father is in control. He feeds. He clothes. He is attentive. And he values… you. So why worry?
How might you obey and live out what Jesus told you to do in this part of the Bible?
Do I believe like Jesus that all things are provided by God in the end? Reflecting on that question as I start the day. Thanks DD.
Hey folks--I just discovered this but this post, which is part of the "147: What Jesus Told Us To Do" devotionals (covering all the Commands of Christ) is supposed to only be for paid subscribers, but in my fumbling I clicked the wrong button and made it available and sent to ALL my free subscribers.
At first I thought I might quick change it once I found it out but decided to leave it out there--perhaps this gives everyone who might care to know what the daily devotional readers are doing. Since the devotional itself is about the command of Christ to not worry--I guess I shouldn't worry about it ;-)