Yesterday, for church, Lisa and I attended the First Church of Our House, with Pastor John Piper. Yeah, we ditched church. But we still wanted to hear a sermon, so I downloaded a Piper sermon on Matthew 6:24-34. It was a great choice, considering our current situation, with my recent job loss.
Jesus words are recorded in this section of scripture, which makes it seem that much more powerful. I don't know if that's true, but I love to think about God speaking directly to man. It would/will be awesome and amazing to hear the voice of God.
Jesus starts by telling us, "no one can serve two masters...(not) God and money." If we serve God, we do not need to be anxious about anything else, the so called "happiness money provides". Jesus tells us this over and over in this passage. Do not be anxious. Do not be anxious. If God provides for the birds what they need for the day, how much more will He provide for our needs? Jesus says, "Are you not of more value than they?" The Son of God, God as man, tells us in this "duh" type rhetorical question that we are more important to God than the birds. The lilies of the field grow without toil, and they are beautiful. "...will He not much more clothe you...?"
Being anxious doesn't add a single hour to our lives. Because Jesus said this, I tend to think He's referring to it doing the opposite. Stress takes away from our life span. We have nothing to be anxious for in this life. God knows our needs, and he will provide for them all, if we seek first His kingdom and all righteousness. And He uses the word "seek". God knows we are not going to achieve perfection in this area. But the more we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, the less we will have to stress about anything else. If we look for happiness in food and clothing, we are just like non-believers. We will be anxious about where we can gain more food and clothing. We will begin worrying about tomorrow's food and clothing, and tomorrow's happiness.
Our God is great! As we seek Him, He lavishes grace on us, He provides for our needs, He releases our anxieties, He gives us joy. As we seek God, He draws closer to us. There is nothing to be anxious about. God blesses the lives of His believers, providing for all our needs.
Praise God for His Provision.
Amen! It's very hard to remember this during stressful times. I have a huge problem with worrying about money and where every dime in our house goes. This is a great reminder that God promises to take care of us, so we don't need to worry about anything, least of all money.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your job search. Ashley and I are praying for you guys.