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.

~~~~~~~

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)

~~~~~~~

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.

Knowing Who to Trust

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 NASB)

We're on a detour in order to better understand the sign of Jonah. Yesterday, we stopped at the point where Jonah had begun to see that "sorry" did not make it all better. The sailors had said, "Jonah, this storm is your fault," and he had said, "Yes, it is." Those irate and frightened sailors had a few questions for him, starting with, "If you believe in the God of the universe like you say you do, how could you do this?" Jonah found that his actions spoke much louder than his words.

After I posted the blog yesterday, I realized that those sailors had tried to do something Jonah should have considered. 

Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. (Jonah 1:5 NASB)

When the storm arose, admittedly a whopper of a storm, the sailors were terrified. The first action the sailors took was to cry to their god. These men were not worshipping Jehovah, but they instinctively knew that only a powerful god could save them. They turned to the god they knew best in their time of need. Some probably worshipped Baal, some Molech, or another of the gods of the time. Every man, however, turned first to that which they worshipped for help.

In a way, that's our problem, too. When trouble begins to come our way, we turn first to that god we know best. It may be that we look to ourselves and our own ability to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps". Others look to chemical aid (drugs, alcohol, food). There are some who turn to friends, family, even the law for aid. 

Those pagan sailors turned first to the god they knew. When that medley of gods didn't save them, they turned to themselves and began to lighten the load by throwing the cargo overboard. When the storm continued unabated, they realized that in which they trusted was not adequate to deliver them. 

When the storms of life come our way, we will instinctively do exactly what those sailors did. We will turn to that which sustains us in the easy times. If our trust is not in Almighty God, we, too, will find ourselves unable to weather the storm. If you, like me, have ever gone through one of those times when life is filled with turmoil and uncertainty, you know the truth of this. When my trust is in myself, I have a poor deliverer. 

If we want to successfully weather the storms of life, we must prepare in advance by placing our trust in the only One who can guide us through and calm the storm. We must practice faith in Him on a daily basis. Then, when crisis comes, and we turn instinctively to the One we trust the most, we will find an anchor that holds and help that is able to deliver.

The psalmist wrote that God is our "very present help in time of trouble." (Psalm 46:1) When our faith is in Him, that help is where we turn first. When we do, we will find His help is exactly what we need.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NASB)

Waiting on Jesus, part 18: who to trust

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl's father and mother. Now they were all weeping and lamenting for her; but He said, "Stop weeping, for she has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. (Luke 8:51-53 NASB)

As they entered the house, everyone was crying and mourning the girl's death. It was a typical death bed scene, with brokenhearted parents, grieving friends and family. The death was so tragic that even the crowd outside was moved. 

Jesus, however, looked at all the crying people and said what seemed harsh and callous. "Stop crying, people. She's not really dead. She's just asleep."  Jairus and his wife looked at Him and they were, at the least, surprised by His words. What in this world was He thinking? Experts had seen the girl. It was obvious she wasn't breathing. Of course she was dead! His words were so ludicrous that everyone started laughing. They didn't know what Jesus was thinking, saying something so crazy. They knew she was dead. Everyone knew she was dead. The experts (the doctors) knew she was dead. Everyone knew that hope was gone. Everyone, it seemed, but Jesus. 

This is a critical juncture in Jairus' journey of faith. On the one hand, people he trusted and considered reliable said his daughter was dead. On the other hand, Jesus said his daughter was not dead, but only sleeping. Who was He going to believe? 

Jairus didn't know what to do, so he did the only sensible thing. He kept still and waited to see what God would do. We will soon see that, in the face of conflicting opinions, the only opinion that matters is that of Christ. The only words that matter, are the Words of God. 

What about your life? Are people telling you all hope is gone? Are they laughing at your hope in Jesus? Trust anyway. Wait anyway. The end has come only when God says it has come. 

As you pray for friends and loved ones, as you consider those difficult circumstances in life, remember that there is only One who sees the beginning and end. Only our triune God knows what the ultimate outcome will be. The outcome you expect may be completely different from the one He has planned, but one thing is certain. His ending is worth waiting to see. 

-------

Link to last night's post is here:

http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/09/lesson-from-battlefield-part-17-way-to.html

-------

Please pray for the people of Nigeria, particularly the Borno state, as Boko Haram continues their merciless effort to conquer their country.