READ THIS: Luke 12:22-31
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
Yesterday, we talked about how we can often get caught up in "false riches" and miss out on the things that God truly has for us, and today we just read about how life is so much more than things such as food, clothes, and other worldly needs/desires. Today's passages can be summarized in one big word that often takes a lot of control in our lives:
worry.
We all worry about different things, and some people worry a lot more often than others! In verses 22-26, we see that the people Jesus is speaking to seem to have three big worries: what they will eat, what they will wear, and where they will stay. So, in classic Jesus fashion, Jesus gives an awesome visual example to show us that God loves us and will always provide for those who put their trust in Him.
First, he explains that God cares for birds, providing food and a place to stay for them. Just like we learned in yesterday's devo... God cares for us, His children made in His image, A LOT more than He cares for birds! Jesus takes this example even further in verses 27-29, explaining that God dresses the flowers of the fields in beautiful colors every day... so (once again), how much more will God provide for His children?!
But the REALLY important takeaways from this section show up in verses 30-34. In these verses, Jesus is asking us a super important question: are you more focused and worried about this world, or God's world? Jesus says the pagans (often used as a reference to "the rest of the world") spend their lives chasing after the things of this world, but God's children are called to seek after God's kingdom first! When we seek after God's kingdom first, we can trust that Jesus will give us everything we need in this world as well, just like verse 31 says! That may mean the things we do get may not be what we want sometimes, but we certainly will get what we need: treasures in heaven that will never fade away.
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. What are the things you tend to worry about?
2. Think about the answer(s) you said for question 1... what would it look like to seek God's kingdom instead of those things?
TRY THIS:
Write down the 3 things you worry about the most somewhere that you can see them, then take some time to pray for each of those things!
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