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. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(Luke 12:22-34, NIV)
As I read the above passage in Luke 12 this morning, I was struck by the fact I mostly live my life in opposition to these instructions of Jesus. Oh, I don't worry about the basics like food, shelter, clothing; but I stress over other earthly concerns, and forget that my number one objective is to SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM, period. I decided to challenge myself and list every concern eating at me, and turn it into a Kingdom seeking project.
1. Health. I have a chronic condition that is presently flaring up and I obsessively google for hours searching out symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, diets, and the like, none of which brings me peace. Gaining knowledge is fine ("Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future" Proverbs 19:20), but compulsively and endlessly hunting for information is not wisdom. Is not the LORD the fount of all wisdom? Can I not seek His direction and counsel? His Word says, "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Can I not trust Him with the state of my health? "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 1:2).
2. Family and relational concerns. I hate it when one of my friends is miffed at me, especially if I feel it's due to an unfair expectation. But that concern pales in comparison to when my children or grandchildren are in conflict or having difficulties in their lives. I instantly want to fix it for them; I don't want them to suffer, be mistreated, or act out in ways that are beneath who they are in Christ. So I stress, then meddle, then irritate the very beloveds I'm trying to "help." My meddling and problem-solving efforts would be better given over to prayer for them. And trusting that God knows each one of them better than I ever will, and has their best in mind. And if one fails, He is fully capable of making a silk purse out of that pig ear. And perhaps the very difficulty one of them is enduring may in fact be part of the Lord's plan to refine and shape them, and all I'm doing is causing Him to say to me, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (Matthew 16:23). As far as friendship issues go, often I need to be brave and confront my friend, rather than squeamishly avoiding her and becoming more and more resentful. Even though I'm far less the people-pleaser I used to be, those destructive ways are easily resurrected. I am not responsible for making others happy. I am only responsible for loving them, and that doesn't mean catering to their expectations of me. Once again the bible has an answer! "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe" (Proverbs 29:25). Once again, I can ask Him for direction for helping me approach the situation, and who knows what HE can do with it, once I'm yielded to His plan.
3. Future plans and decisions. While I completely trust I will be provided for by my beloved Jehovah Jireh, I live in constant trepidation that Brad and I will choose to DO THE WRONG THING or make the wrong decision. We are contemplating selling our home of 26 years next summer and building over at our honey bee property. I can't stop obsessing over whether or not that's a good idea. Then I start pre-grieving leaving the home we raised our children in, even though it is a material item and not eternal. I hate being sentimental. It's so annoying. The above verse says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor"! And here I am, upset about the prospect of selling a possession and not even considering I could share our proceeds with the poor! Where is my Kingdom mindset? And where is my trust that the Lord can direct our life decisions? Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps."
4. My flaws and chronic areas of weakness. I hate the fact I tend to be critical, judgmental, quick to see evil in others and generally dislike protracted human interaction as it's exhausting and sucks up precious time (for what?). I also feel like I have ADD, I flit here and there without spending time in meditation or long, contemplative prayer. I confess and repent often, but I don't seem to change at the core. I want to love others as I love myself, laying down my life for my friends, but I much prefer to spend my limited energy on my family, and the rest of the world can deal with its own problems. The pain and suffering experienced by the multitudes overwhelms me and I would rather hide and not hear about it. Definitely not a Kingdom-minded reaction to the hurting and lost. I hate it so much when I know someone's suffering, but I don't know what to do about it. I think the answer is prayer, and then resting in what the Holy Spirit tells me to do with each individual sufferer. I look at it like a giant ball of tangled, glued-together string, and there's no way to fix it, so I just want that blob to drop in a hole so I don't have to look at it or internally suffer for the combined, exponential wounding of the world. I want to WANT TO spend hours praying and hearing from Jesus, without checking my phone, being easily distracted and feeling the need for constant entertainment. I know my part is to seek first Him, but I can also take comfort in: "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).
I know the above may not even resonate with anyone else, or at least that customized collection of junk that plagues me! But we all have "issues," and we have a Creator that is intimately concerned with each one of us and our path to Him, and the sins that so easily entangle us. Thank God for Philippians 4, which says: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things... And the God of peace will be with you" (verses 4-8; 9b).
Also, this favorite one of mine: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).
