None of us worry, RIGHT? If we tell each other not to worry or be anxious in a world plagued by sin, you need to have a good reason. Thankfully, God does.
Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, not about your body, what you will put on (Luke 12:22).
From Luke 12:16-21 we read the account of a rich man whose harvest is so huge he decides to build bigger barns to store up his abundance. The man has it made and he knows it. But that night he dies. Just to show you how unproductive worry is. At a glance, it seems the man’s problem was greed, not worry. But the source of his worry is what he treasures, and that is a point we often miss. The man’s solution to his worries didn’t show a love for the Lord, or a trust in Him. The man’s only answer to his anxieties was his own wisdom.
The man in the parable wasn’t a poor farmer. He was rich. His concern wasn’t “where will my next meal come from?” but” where do I store it?” His hands were full, but he still found reason to be anxious. Gaining more doesn’t give us a reason not to worry. It just changes what we worry about. It certainly turned out to be so for the rich man who thought his life was finally good and problem free only to be faced with death.
So where do your treasures lie? How large a container do you need for the things you have acquired? What type of a suitcase will you carry them in when you leave this world?
We don’t need to worry about our ability to provide for ourselves. A life of faith involves growing in cheerful dependence on God. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to work for our food, but that we don’t regard our “stuff” as less than a good gift from God. Jesus calls us to give things away and build into eternity. When we treasure God, as the point and purpose of life, our hearts, are secure and worry has no power, on earth or in heaven with Jesus.
Glorify God in whatever you do, whatever you have or do not have.( Luke12:32.) Life is about far more than the things we tend to worry about. Just when we think we have it all, surprise, God knows better. The truth “life is more” is the surprising reason God’s word says not to worry. At the end of it all, just like the rich man in this story, we all must live and die with the worry we do and the choices we make in life. The treasures of this world are elusive, and they will never be enough. When we hope for even the best this world offers, we will have endless reasons for anxiety. So, all I can say is to trust in the Lord. He never says it will be easy. If it was easy, then everyone would trust and follow Him. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful change?
Enjoy each day, it is God’s gift,
Rev. Walter Coy
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