May 25 ~ Matthew 6:30-33
“If God gives such attention to
the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t
you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so
preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who
don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you
know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality,
God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll
find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
If I have learned anything in
the last several months, it’s that we worry far too much about a lot of
things that really don’t matter. For several months, I feel like I
have just gone through the motions in our home…housekeeping chores have
been neglected…the Christmas tree stayed up until almost the end of
January…we’ve eaten a lot of take-out meals. And it has not mattered.
We have been focused on family and attending to “business” matters that
had to be handled…and the rest could wait.
When Greg and I started Workamper News
in 1987, we carefully budgeted every penny. For the first few years, we documented every dime
we spent, until we were sure that the business was going to succeed
enough to pay all of the bills. If we ended up with a surplus in the
budget at month’s end, we treated ourselves to Sonic® burgers. Those
were some of our happiest years as business owners!
I remember
tough times as a child. My parents were working multiple jobs to pay
the bills and put food on the table for themselves and three children. I
know what it feels like to struggle and worry about how budgets will be
met…and how goals will be accomplished. I’ve stressed over college
courses, business plans, the challenges and heartaches of loved ones,
health concerns, and more. And I have wasted more than my fair share of
time on worry and preoccupation with the outcomes.
This is a
profound scripture passage for almost all of us…because there is
something innate in us as humans that keeps us asking, “What is in it
for me?” and thinking about how we can acquire more…money, time,
possessions, friends - or even physical fitness and attractiveness. And
Jesus is telling us to get a grip – literally – on the love and grace
of God Almighty!
You might be temporarily happier with an extra
couple hundred dollars in your pocket. You could feel better for a
while if you lost a few pounds, put on a new outfit and got your hair
done. You might feel a momentary thrill to drive a shiny new car…move
into a big, fancy, perfectly decorated house…or mingle with the rich and
famous as their equal. But in the end, none of these things lasts – or
matters. What is important is to “steep our lives in God-reality,
God-initiative, and God-provisions”…which are always more than enough.
Are
you still worried about missing out? Or are you trusting God to meet
every one of your needs? Will this be the day that you get your
priorities in line with His and start to truly live in His peace and
abundance? Don’t you want it to be?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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