Consider the lilies...
I was reading Luke 12 today. My devotional book had just the few verses about not worrying about food and clothing because God cares even for the flowers and the birds and we are of much more value to God than they are. So I went to get the rest of the context.
These verses are in the middle of a longer teaching. It begins with the story of the rich farmer who had a good harvest and built bigger barns to store it in. He is held as an example of foolishness, storing up treasure for himself instead of treasure in heaven.
Then come the verses about the lilies and the birds not having to care for themselves and that we also should not worry about food or clothing. We just need to be doing God's will.
The final punchline is this. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
We start with the rich man who is rebuked because he stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God, move throught the assurance that if we are seeking God's kingdom we need not worry about food or clothing, and wind up with how to be rich toward God: sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Now I know as well as anyone more ways than I can count to try to justify my way out of this.
-Doesn't God expect us to be wise with what we have?
-It is irresponsible not to save for retirement.
-The Bible says that those who do not provide for their own family are worse than infidels.
-etc.
I don't know anyone personally who has actually done this exact thing. Did Jesus mean it figuratively? Were we not to take this seriously? If it doesn't mean what it says then what does it mean? Can you own a farm and not store up treasure for yourselves?
I think you can, but sometimes it seems more like the farm owns us. It is a struggle. How do you work a farm in such a way that God's kingdom is built up? that the poor have more while the rich have less? that the hungry are fed and the homeless sheltered? how do you work a farm responsibly and still have time for anything beyond the farm?
I know I'm exaggerating, at least in some ways. A farm can take everything that you are willing to give it, just like any other self owned business can. When you work for yourself you are subject to market changes and swings in income so it is hard to know when to say 'enough'. It might not be enough. So already we don't let the farm take everything. We say no to the farm to take responsibilities with the church and to nuture our relationships with each other and our children and our friends and family.
I want somehow for our lives to be immersed in God, rather than for God to have a place in the list of priorities. I have this romantic idea that if we just trust God enough, give ourselves up with abandon, that everything will just fall into place. We will know when to push harder with the work and when to quit for the day and we won't struggle with wondering whether we should have made whichever decision we didn't make. The kids will be fine and we will just instinctively know what is best for them. We won't spend much on ourselves, we will be able to give with abandon, and we won't go bankrupt in the process. We will open our homes to those with needs and we won't be hurt by them.
But that isn't how it works. Even Jesus agonized. Jesus was hurt by the people he cared for. Why should we who follow Jesus expect to have things easy?
So the next question would be this: Is there anything worth so much to me that I would withhold it? Would I say to God, you can have everything but this?
These verses are in the middle of a longer teaching. It begins with the story of the rich farmer who had a good harvest and built bigger barns to store it in. He is held as an example of foolishness, storing up treasure for himself instead of treasure in heaven.
Then come the verses about the lilies and the birds not having to care for themselves and that we also should not worry about food or clothing. We just need to be doing God's will.
The final punchline is this. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
We start with the rich man who is rebuked because he stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God, move throught the assurance that if we are seeking God's kingdom we need not worry about food or clothing, and wind up with how to be rich toward God: sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Now I know as well as anyone more ways than I can count to try to justify my way out of this.
-Doesn't God expect us to be wise with what we have?
-It is irresponsible not to save for retirement.
-The Bible says that those who do not provide for their own family are worse than infidels.
-etc.
I don't know anyone personally who has actually done this exact thing. Did Jesus mean it figuratively? Were we not to take this seriously? If it doesn't mean what it says then what does it mean? Can you own a farm and not store up treasure for yourselves?
I think you can, but sometimes it seems more like the farm owns us. It is a struggle. How do you work a farm in such a way that God's kingdom is built up? that the poor have more while the rich have less? that the hungry are fed and the homeless sheltered? how do you work a farm responsibly and still have time for anything beyond the farm?
I know I'm exaggerating, at least in some ways. A farm can take everything that you are willing to give it, just like any other self owned business can. When you work for yourself you are subject to market changes and swings in income so it is hard to know when to say 'enough'. It might not be enough. So already we don't let the farm take everything. We say no to the farm to take responsibilities with the church and to nuture our relationships with each other and our children and our friends and family.
I want somehow for our lives to be immersed in God, rather than for God to have a place in the list of priorities. I have this romantic idea that if we just trust God enough, give ourselves up with abandon, that everything will just fall into place. We will know when to push harder with the work and when to quit for the day and we won't struggle with wondering whether we should have made whichever decision we didn't make. The kids will be fine and we will just instinctively know what is best for them. We won't spend much on ourselves, we will be able to give with abandon, and we won't go bankrupt in the process. We will open our homes to those with needs and we won't be hurt by them.
But that isn't how it works. Even Jesus agonized. Jesus was hurt by the people he cared for. Why should we who follow Jesus expect to have things easy?
So the next question would be this: Is there anything worth so much to me that I would withhold it? Would I say to God, you can have everything but this?
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