Below
are a couple of pictures of the beautiful roses that my hubby gave me for
Mother’s Day. I’m always awed by the
beauty of even the most simple things that show the infinite thought and care
that God invested in their creation. How
anyone can think such beauty was a result of random evolution from some kind of
cosmic soup is beyond my comprehension.
More
importantly, they testify to God’s love and care for us as expressed by what
Jesus taught His disciples.
Matthew 6:25–34 “Therefore I say
unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than
meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add
one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And
yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one
of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is,
and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall
he not much more clothe
you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we
eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after
all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that
ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no
thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself.”
Much of
what we do in our lives is focused on our concern about supplying our need for
food, drink and clothing. For the
person that has placed their faith in Jesus as their LORD and Savior, that
should not be a concern. Why? Because the LORD knows what we need and has
promised to provide accordingly. His
will is for us to focus on seeking His righteousness. Once we become a child of God through faith
in His Son, we are clothed in His righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made
him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Salvation clothes us in the
righteousness of God through Jesus. To
seek the kingdom of God in our lives is to strive to live in accordance with the
righteousness in which we are clothed.
One that is seeking to live righteously will be intent on serving
God. When we are intent on serving God, we
don’t have to worry about having what we need; He will provide it. We
are, as instructed in the model prayer, to trust God daily for
our needs. We aren’t to be anxious about tomorrow, but to take each day
as it comes. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. When tomorrow comes,
God will be just as sufficient for the needs of that day as He is for
today’s.
This does not mean that we are not to provide
for ourselves and our families through hard work and preparation. The
point is that we are not to be anxious about the results of that hard work and
preparation since we have a heavenly Father who is watching out for us.
Scripture is clear in teaching that we should have a good work
ethic.
Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, thou
sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide,
overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in
the harvest.”
Proverbs 31 (the whole chapter)
2Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we
were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither
should he eat.”
Exodus 20:9 “Six days shalt thou
labour, and do all thy work….”
1Timothy 5:8 “But if any provide not
for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
Part of serving God is to work and
provide for ourselves and our family in accordance with His instruction and
with a heart of submission and obedience to Him. The key is the attitude
of the heart. If our hearts are yielded to Him in all that we do, we can
rest in the truth that He will provide our needs according to His purpose,
which is always righteous and good.
One should always remember that what
God deems to be our needs may not always be what we deem them to be. We need to rest in the truth of His love for
us as well as the truth that His ways are far beyond our understanding.
1 John 4:15–16 “Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And
we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God
in him.”
Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts.”
Click on pic for larger view
