by Curtis Baker (email)
Having addressed the potential competition that money and physical things can pose to our relationship with God, Jesus now teaches us something that is absolutely fundamental if our lives are not going to be driven by material possessions and the need to secure ourselves. Jesus teaches us that our trust must be in God to provide for our daily necessities, so that our attention can be given to him and his kingdom first. If this is not true of us, it is inevitable that we will use evil means of obtaining money for ourselves because we are convinced that if we don’t provide it, no one will.
Jesus points to two realities in nature to make his point clear. First, look at the birds and how they behave. They do not sow and reap and store away as humans do, nor do they worry about where their next meal will be obtained. They simply take from the earth as they need it, without worry as to where they will find food next. Secondly, Jesus asks his students to observe the flowers of the field. They do not labor or spin their own clothes, and yet they are more beautiful than the robes of richest man on earth when it comes to appearance. “What’s the point?” you may ask. The point is God provides for them in abundance, and you as a human being made in the image of God are of even more worth than they. If God knows how to take care of birds and flowers, then surely he knows how to provide for you.
That is hard to trust isn’t it? Even in a land where food is fairly plentiful, there is always a nagging fear that there may not be enough. It maybe that there is enough today, but what if something happens and there is no food tomorrow? What if the power is cut off? What if there is a natural disaster? What if there is an economic collapse and the grocery stores are empty? There is no end to the worries that we human beings have about the future. But notice how Jesus handles these anxieties. He simply asks, “By worrying, can any of you add one day to your life?” The answer to that question, of course, is “no!” As a matter of fact, most of us are aware that worry and stress can dramatically lower your life expectancy. Worry over the future accomplishes absolutely nothing. So Jesus conclusion is simple, if we could only heed it. “Let tomorrow take care of itself…today has enough trouble of its own!” I think most people can say “amen” to that.
It is likely that a word needs to be spoken here about what Jesus is NOT saying in this passage. Jesus is not suggesting here that we should give up our jobs and just trust God to provide for our meals. He is not saying to avoid the grocery store, or to never buy clothes at the mall because God will provide everything to your front door like an online delivery. Jesus, of course, assumes all the daily routines that make a life. Human labor is a significant part of the way that God has arranged to provide for the needs of the world, and to neglect it is sinful and dehumanizing. We need meaningful work as much as we need food or clothing.
It all goes back to what we treasure most. If what we treasure over everything else, are the physical realities of life (food, clothing, money, etc) then our life is bound for anxiety because there is no end to trying to obtain and secure these things. If, however, what we value most is God and his kingdom, and simply use the physical as it is intended to be used, then our life is completely secure. Nothing can take away what God gives to us, and therefore we can live our life with relatively little anxiety, trusting that God is not only providing for us now, but into eternity. This is difficult teaching, but a lesson we all need learn in greater depth.
(Don’t forget to join me for A Message from the Heart radio program Sunday evening at 8:00pm on KJAK 92.7FM, or streaming live at www.kjak.com)
(curtisbaker@hotmail.com)
Write to: P.O. Box 157, Slaton, TX 79364
