Today's post, happening as it is on the quadrennial festivities that occur this time every November, owes its premise to that wily poster and man-about-town Eaton Rapids Joe, who in his own post of yesterday noted the fact that, in the midst of "The Season", he was brought to Matthew Chapter Six, where he notes that Christ dealt with four different things: fasting, performing acts of charity, and praying all in a manner to attract attention and praise rather than actually fast/be charitable/pray and our concern the wealth and planning for the future (he breaks into five sections; he is far better at this than I).
But the last portion of this chapter really came across to me this evening (the night before) beyond just the subjects of wealth and planning (after all, the Bible often speaks of such things):
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For your heavenly father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do no worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." - Matthew 6: 25 - 34 (emphasis mine)
Yes, it is specific to worrying about food and clothing. But taken more generally - and there are more general applications elsewhere - the message is plain: we are to trust God, not worry about the outcome of things, especially things which are largely out of our control.
Pray? Yes, of course. But whatever the outcome, it will ultimately redound to God's glory. Which is the real purpose we should always strive for.
Old country proverb
ReplyDeletePray to God for a good harvest but weed the garden.
Or the scripture about works without faith is dead and faith without works is dead.
Weed the garden of your life, lest like a weedy garden you are not productive to God, your family and yourself.
Michael
We can definitely control and impact ourselves and our lives. That is all we can really 100% count on impacting.
DeleteA rule of thumb I was taught as a young Christian:
ReplyDeleteGod's work
done God's way
will never lack
God's supply.
Our life focus makes all the difference.
Indeed, STxAR. Along with the phrase "Ultimately, God is not mocked. We just may not see the outcomes in our lifetimes".
DeleteAnd in the words of the wise prophet Tom Petty: "Most things I worry about never happen anyway."
ReplyDeleteWarren - Wise man, that Tom Petty fellow. A rather large amount of wisdom in his work.
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