Tuesday Thought -- June 21, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“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. 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 his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’ … ‘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.’” (Luke 12:22-26; 30-31)

These admonitions from Jesus are difficult to understand and from a human perspective they will never make sense.

Do not worry about your life. We are not to even worry about the things that sustain our earthly life, like food. None of us can live without food and sometimes there are people – even people of great faith – who don’t have enough to eat. What does Jesus mean not to worry when we don’t have enough to eat? That makes no sense.

Do not worry about your body. We are not to even worry about the things that are necessary to take care of our bodies – like clothes. But none of us wants to live without clothes, and for many of us clothes are essential for the climates in which we live. There are people – even people of great faith – who don’t have adequate coverings and shelter for their bodies. What does Jesus mean not to worry when we don’t have enough cover or shelter? That makes no sense.

Even birds starve to death sometimes. Birds freeze to death in climates where there isn’t enough protection for them. Flowers are cut off before their prime, eaten by animals, or destroyed in a late freeze. If you look at the examples Jesus points to they don’t offer an ironclad guarantee that there won’t be any problems.

What does Jesus mean? He means that there are things more important than earthly life. There are things more important than taking care of our bodies. Life on earth is not the goal. To live here is not the purpose for which we draw breath. We live to serve God. Our goal is His glory, His will and the advancement of His kingdom.

Life will never make sense if all we look at are the years we spend here on earth. Life only makes sense when you look at it from an eternal perspective.

His, by Grace,

Steve