Luke 12: 22 – 34 NLT
“Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. 24 Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! 25 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 26 And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27 “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 28 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
29 “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. 30 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Jesus is very blunt about worrying. “I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. 23 For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.” (v. 22) The basics of life shouldn’t be something we worry about. Unfortunately, in our culture, the basics tend to be more luxurious than in many places in our world. We don’t worry about literally having little to eat or wear. We worry about having a nice home, a decent car, good clothes, vacation time, etc. We want a lifestyle that is enjoyable. In fact, we tend to look for improvements – a better job with higher pay, a bigger house, a new car …
Jesus tells us that the basics of life will be provided, and that’s actually all we need – the basics. He goes on to say that we are so much more important to God than birds and flowers. Intervarsity Press’ online commentary explains why Jesus used the ravens as an example: “Ravens refers to a wide variety of crows that inhabited Palestine. Interestingly, they were unclean creatures in Old Testament thinking. They were among the least appreciated of birds, so the example is important because of the cultural perception of these creatures. Jesus has gone to the “bottom of the creature barrel” for this example. God cares for them by giving them food, and just think how much more valuable you are than birds! In other words, if he cares for them, he certainly will care for you.”
Jesus even asks if we can prolong our lives by worrying. Our current medical folks would tell us that worrying actually shortens our lifespan. Intervarsity Press goes on to say: If worrying is futile in adding even a small increment to your life span, why do you worry about the rest? Worry is wasted energy, an emotional investment that yields nothing. Worry actually reflects the tension we have when we feel that life is out of our control.”
Over the past year, I suspect that worry has increased for many of us. We’re used to “controlling” our lives in our culture. Being told to stay home, stay away from people, discovering our jobs are at risk, worrying about our family members getting Covid … It’s been hard, a big learning curve.
Jesus goes on to say that we should “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.” (v. 31). Our focus is to trust God, to focus on our relationship with him. In fact, if we stop worrying about doing well in this life, we might even be a more generous person. The Apostle Paul repeats what Jesus said in a different way:
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4: 6 – 8)
Intervarsity Press summed up these verses well:
“Jesus is talking about our basic approach to life. Are we anxious and lacking trust in God, constantly trying to gain control of things that often are beyond our control? Or do we trust God to provide and concentrate on honoring relationships by pursuing righteousness and serving others with our resources? Two things tell us the answers to these questions: our heart and our pocketbook. Our heart can tell us if we are anxious, and our pocketbook can tell us if we are generous. Both tell us if we are trusting God.”
Our song for today is In Control by Hillsong Worship.