Luke 12:22-34
He 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 clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This long and fairly well known passage hinges on one verse: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” If you believe this, everything else falls into place. If not, then it becomes remarkably challenging to believe any of it.
Because the thing is…some people do not have enough clothing or food or other things they need. And seeing that, we sometimes fall prey to the story of the world that there simply is not enough to go around and so we should toil and worry and scheme and covet.
But if you believe that God really does want to give us the kingdom and all good things, then a worldview of scarcity evaporates, replaced by a sense of abundance. Trusting God’s provision, not only do we discover that we have enough for ourselves but also see that we are equipped to share with others.
Trusting God’s provision, we realize that the reason that some do not have their basic needs met is turns out not to be that there is not enough, but that too many of us, dominated by a sense of scarcity, do not share what we have.
Trusting God’s provision, we recognize that worry really is a waste of time. Not only does it not add an hour to our life, but – as recent medical research shows – it actually decreases both the length and quality of our lives. When trust replaces worry, we in turn discover all kinds of time and energy to devote to serving others.
Shifting from a scarcity outlook to one of abundance takes time. We’ve believed the lie of scarcity for so long that we may find it hard to believe it’s not true. At these times, not only remembering and repeating this verse may help, but so also will practicing it by sharing a little more of what we have with others. Generosity and trust are muscles, and by exercising them we grow in these traits.
Prayer: Dear God, remind us of your promises and help us to believe them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Interesting insight that we spend so much time worrying about losing things that we don’t focus on sharing with others. In our own ways, we are hoarders! But God’s provisions are meant to be more like an intersection, not a cul de sac – we don’t keep God’s blessings to ourselves; we pass them along! Thanks for addressing worry – I’ve dedicated my blog to the issue of worrying as Christians. Stop by sometime!