Considering the lilies: Choosing freedom from fear, worry, selfishness

"Consider the lilies, how they grow... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.                                       (Luke 12:27, 29-32 NASB)

The lily series continues, mainly because I've enjoyed learning about the lilies.  I hate to leave it. We began this series by considering the lily bulb. In case you missed any part of the series, you can click on the links to catch up. We've also considered lily propagation,  lily's disposition, true lilies and the importance of the name, the importance of planting the lily bulb deep in the ground, the different varieties of lilies, and  living the lily life. Yesterday, we examined seeking the kingdom. 

Today, we look at the "DO NOT's". The world often thinks of religion in terms of "thou shalt not's". To the unbeliever, Christianity seems more like a list of don'ts than do's, a divine dictatorship rather than a relationship. If they only knew... 

The "don't's" of faith are for our protection and generally come with a "do" alternative. (Maybe not in the same verse, but if you look for it, you can find it.)

There are three "don't's" in this passage and they aren't what most people think of when they hear "thou shalt not". 

1. Do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink. 

 The word translated as "seek" is not a casual hide and seek game. We might think of it as  a demanding search, determined to have what we want. Jesus is warning us against demanding a certain kind of consumption. 

The implication is for us to be content with simple fare. We may want caviar and lobster, but that doesn't mean we should have it. Let's give up our selfishness and our sense of entitlement.

The most commonly eaten food in the world is rice. The diet in many countries is composed largely of rice. Not caviar. Not filet mignon. We would likely improve our health if we did not "seek" (demand) a certain diet, but were satisfied with a simple diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Okay, lean meats, too for the omnivores among us. (My physician side is shouting this morning.) 

2. Do not keep worrying.

Jesus knows us, doesn't He? We don't just worry for a moment. We keep on worrying. Agonizing, soul-wrenching worry. We fill our lives with what if's and miss the here and now. It's not the way we were intended to live. 

Jesus told us not to keep worrying because there is no need to worry. Our Heavenly Father has the world in His capable hands. He can handle our lives. So take every thought captive. Make a choice to obey. Stop worrying. Stop it. 

Here's a motivator for those of us who have trouble with worry. Jesus told us not to keep worrying. When I refuse to obey Jesus by continuing to worry, it is sin.

How do we stop worrying? Take our thoughts captive. Stop rehearsing our worry. Speak truth. Quote Scripture aloud. Pray. 

3. Do not be afraid.

I love this particular admonition. "Do not be afraid, little flock." The Good Shepherd is speaking here to His lambs and reminds me of Psalm 23. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." As our Shepherd, He has accepted the responsibility of providing for our needs. We are not to allow fear to drive our actions. Momentary fear should drive us to Christ. In His presence, fear flees. 

Will we stop doing what Jesus says not to do? We must, so that we can live free of selfishness, entitlement, demanding, worry, and fear. 

Choose to live as free men and women. It's the way Christ intended us to live.

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Our Father, Our Shepherd and our Lord, forgive me for my selfish demanding, my worry, my fear. Help me to trust you and to follow you. Help me to live free, for You bought that freedom with Your blood. In Jesus name, Amen.

The anger behind fretting

And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? (Luke 12:22-26 NASB)

The previous post considered the ravens and the care God provides for them, as well as the importance of not fretting. Today, we look at fretting in more depth. We may find that this concept is a little different than we thought.

The word used in Psalm 37:1 "Do not fret" is charah and is used to mean to fret or be angry. It implies the heat of melted wax, that burns and sticks, continuing to burn even without flame. Dictionary.com defines the verb "fret" as "to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent; to cause corrosion, gnaw into something; to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away." 

"Fret" is a word that's used so commonly it has begun to lose its meaning, at least for me. I may call it fretting, but it is actually annoyance with God because He has not provided what I expected to receive or because He has allowed uncertainty when what I wanted is the assurance that circumstances will go my way. Ouch. That doesn't sound like a faithful servant of God, does it?

When I entertain worry, or fretting, it gnaws and wears away at me. Fretting, or worrying, is a form of annoyance and discontent that causes corrosion. It erodes our peace, our contentment, our joy. When we look at the consequences of worry and fretting, they aren't as attractive, are they?

In these verses, Jesus told His disciples, (Leanna Paraphrase) "You can't add a single hour to your life, so why worry? Trust the One who holds every hour of your life in His hands." He was right. I'd like to think I can change something by my worry and fret. 

The hard truth is that I don't change my circumstances with worry and fretting at all. I only change me. I erode my peace and joy, but don't impact the problem I'm worrying about in any way whatsoever. (unless to make things worse by worry) Why worry, then? It's pointless, especially when the One who holds the world in His capable hands is also holding my life there, as well. 

Paul's instructions to the church at Philippi are words we would do well to heed.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)

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Our Father, forgive me for my worry, anger, discontent. Help me to put my trust in You and leave it there. My life is in you hands. Do with it as you see fit. Thank you for handling that which I cannot handle myself.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Stop Worrying and Start Trusting

And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? (Luke 12:22-26 NASB)

When my son Ryan was little, he attended a Christian school. One day, he told me they had studied Psalm 37. 
"Hey, Mom, do you know why it says 'Do not fret' three times?" he asked me. 
"No, Ryan, why is that?" 
"It's because God really means it. DO NOT FRET!"

Ryan was right. 

Over and over in Scripture, God tells us not to worry, not to fret. He can handle this experience we call life. In this passage, Jesus tells us again, "Do not worry about your life." 

Don't worry about anything. Not what you will eat, or what you will wear, or about your health. 

God can handle whatever comes our way.

"Consider the ravens," He told His disciples. I usually just brush past those words, but today I decided to consider. Ravens, it turns out, can survive just about anywhere, because they aren't picky about their habitat or their food. They are very intelligent birds and can be taught to speak some words. They can work together with other ravens to capture food. 

One of the facts about ravens that surprised me is that they're acrobatic and playful. According to allaboutbirds.org, young ravens will play with sticks while they fly, dropping them from the sky, then diving to catch them. 

These birds fly around, enjoying life as they go. They never worry about what they'll eat because they can always find something that will do. They aren't attractive birds, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying life. Their sound is more a croak than a song, but that doesn't stop God from caring for them.

God feeds them. 

God provides for them. 

You will never see a raven die of starvation. You will not see a raven discouraged or unhappy about its circumstances. They take what comes and fly on. Sometimes, they fly upside down, just for fun.

How amazing is that? 

Ravens are content, happy, having fun because they know something we struggle to understand. God can handle the life of a raven. It's no big deal. 

If God can handle raven-life, He can handle human-life, too. He can handle my life. And yours. He's got this life of ours and it's no big deal for Him. 

"How much more valuable you are than the birds!" That's what Jesus told His disciples and it's what He would have us hear, too. We are more valuable than the birds. He knows every bird. He feeds every bird. 

There is great news for those of us who are living in uncertain circumstances. He knows us. We are valuable to Him. We don't have to fret or worry. He means it. Quit worrying. Trust Him. 

Not fretting is part of being a disciple of Jesus. Let's get this straight before we go any further. If we are following Jesus, we should not be worrying. He can handle whatever comes our way. He knows our needs. He will provide. It may not be the provision we expect, but He will provide.

If we can trust Him to save our soul, we can trust Him to provide for our needs. We can put our faith in Him for whatever we face.

Stop worrying. Quit rehearsing the problems. If there is something you should do to fix your problem, do it. If there's not, turn to the One who can handle it all. 

Give it to Him. 
Leave it with Him. 
Trust Him.  

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Our Father, Hallowed be your name. We give our needs to you and trust you to care for us with the same generosity you show the birds of the air. Give us this day our daily bread. Fill us with your Spirit. Nothing more. Nothing less. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Provision of the Holy Spirit: Every word you need

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:10-12 NASB)

These are tough words, but filled with hope and assurance. The word translated as "when" is hotan and is used to indicate something that will definitely happen but at an uncertain time/date. We might read it as "when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, and it is going to happen..." Jesus' use of hotan was a way of telling His disciples that these difficulties were not possibilities. They would definitely happen.

"Synagogues and the rulers and the authorities" is a reference to both the Jewish religious leaders and the governmental authorities. Every level of authority over them would demand an answer for their faith.

It's hard to understand the impact these words must have had on the disciples. They were, for the most part, unlearned, blue collar workers, not men from the upper echelon of society. 

Peter carried a sword. He was apparently accustomed to defending himself by brute force, not the power of words. To be brought before religious and governmental authorities meant risking everything, for the two bodies had incredible control over their lives. These were not men who were accustomed to defending themselves with words. They weren't eloquent public speakers. 

Let's put ourselves in these men's place for a moment. Jesus told them, "You're going to be dragged into court for following me, and you'll have to speak up to defend yourselves. You won't have a lawyer to help. You're on your own." That's a chilling thought, isn't it? 

Here's the good news. No man would help them BUT the Holy Spirit would "in that very hour" (just in the nick of time) tell them exactly what they needed to say. Instead of another man, Jesus was sending His own emissary, the Holy Spirit, to help them. 

Suddenly, the situation must have sounded much better. Even though the Holy Spirit had not yet filled them, the idea must have been a relief. They were not alone.

It's one of the things I love the most about Jesus. I am not alone. No matter what I face. No matter how difficult the situation. No matter to whom I have to answer. I do not answer alone. I do not cope with my circumstances alone. The Triune God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is with me, helping, providing, enabling me to do what must be done, to say what must be said. 

"Do not worry," Jesus told them. He knew our propensity to worry and aimed to head it off. There is no need to be afraid, to agonize over what is to come. The one who forgives our past and directs our present is in control of our future, as well. 

Will hard times come to us? Yes. We may not experience the kind of persecution the disciples faced (although I think we will), but we will encounter difficulties. The wonderful news is that our Lord has the future firmly in hand. He has a provision for every need we have. There's no need to fear.

Take heart, He has overcome the world and He holds you in His loving hands.

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Our Father, who holds the past, present, and the future, give me faith to trust you in the hard times, to honor you with my words and to stand firm for Jesus, no matter what comes my way. Free me from my fear and help me cling to You. In Jesus name, Amen.