Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus
In the last session, we learned about Jesus' demand for us not to be anxious about our life, but to seek first the Kingdom of God - to make God the King in our life and in every affair. Let us now learn at least some of the reasons why Jesus says to His disciples not to be anxious.
LIFE IS MORE THAN FOOD, AND THE BODY IS MORE THAN CLOTHING
Matt. 6:25 says "Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on." Why? "Because life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing." What does this mean?
Why do we ted to get anxious about food and clothing? Because there are three things that we would lose if we didn't have food and clothing. First, we would lose some pleasures. After all, food tastes good. Second, we would lose some human praise and admiring glances if we didn't have nice clothes. Third, we would possibly lose our life if we had no food at all or weren't protected from the cold. So the reason we get anxious about food and clothing is because we don't want to lose physical pleasures or human praise or life.
To this fear Jesus responds: If you are gripped by anxiety over these things, you have lost sight of the greatness of life. Life was not given primarily for physical pleasures, but for something greater - the enjoyment of God (Luke 12:21). Life was not given primarily for the approval of man but for something greater - the approval of God (John 5:44). Life was not given primarily for the extension on this earth, but for something greater - eternal life with God in the age to come (John 3:16).
We ought not to be anxious about food and clothing because food and clothing cannot provide the great things of life - the enjoyment of God, the pursuit of His gracious favor, the hope of eternity in His presence. We get anxious about food and clothing to the same degree that we lose sight of the great purposes of a God-centered life.
LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR
The second reason Jesus gives for not being anxious is in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" What we see when we look at the birds is not a lesson in laziness, They dig their worms and snatch their bugs and pad their nests with strings and leaves. But Jesus says it is God who feeds them. Birds don't anxiously hoard things as though God will not do the same tomorrow. They go about their work - and we should go about our work - as though, when the sun comes up tomorrow, God will still be God.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, with this I complete two of the eight reasons why we are not to be anxious about tomorrow. Let the grace of our Father, the love of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be a guidance unto us all. Please uphold me, a sinful servant of Jesus in your prayers.
Your Brother in Christ
Jobin
Source: "What does Jesus Demands from the World" by John Piper
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