Matthew 6:25 KJV
[25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
In a world of competing interests, there is an urgent need to define and determine what is really important. The world tries to define what is important, and then also tries to get us to focus on those things, to the exclusion of all other things. The problem with this focus is that once you get it wrong, every other thing will be wrong. The world also has legitimate interests too, and as we know, food and drink and clothes are all important to having the basic quality of life. In fact, several international pronouncements such as the Universal Declaration of Human rights lay these out as fundamental to the quality of life for every human being. Yet, as I read the verse above, it seems to me that Jesus is telling His disciples that as important as these are, they cannot be your sole focus. The bible says that if a man does not provide for his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. Physical needs are critical, and God wants me to do what I can to meet them, but they cannot be the sole focus. There is more to life than worrying about food, drink and clothes.
The verse asks me to take no thought about what to eat, drink or put on. It is the anxiety that leads to even greater health challenges. No one can by worrying add a single day to the number of years God has given him, yet we fret over the plans we have made for the next 5 years. It is good to plan, but it is also critical to plan with God in full view of all that we look ahead to. Food and drink are important to daily life, but so also are the food and drink that are important to the spiritual life God also calls us to. As we strive to satisfy the needs of the physical, so must we strive to satisfy the needs of the spiritual. Too much thinking about how to meet the physical needs will rob you of the joy each day brings. As a disciple, I have the assurance that my leader and teacher knows what I need, and He will supply accordingly. That is why today's verse is addressed to disciples, not the crowd. I can make all the claims I want; access is only given to those who have surrendered their lives to the control and influence of Jesus. Does that describe me and you? God's time of favour is here.
No comments:
Post a Comment