Today’s scripture: Luke 12:22-34 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (David Zier):
This is a passage that gets used a lot in sermons to remind us that we should not worry about what we eat or what we wear. I guess all those gourmet meals out and Versace clothes and Gucci handbags really don’t do us any good!
I think it is easy to focus on the specific words of this passage — food, clothing — but there really is a larger message for me. Stop worrying about stuff that does not matter and take notice of what’s going on around you!
When I hear it this way this passage says a lot more to me, not just about food and clothing, but about all kinds of stuff I spend my time on that takes me away from God. The passage tells us to “consider the ravens” or “consider the lilies.” Ravens and lilies rely on what God has provided them, and they ask for no more. But it’s not just about them. God is telling us to contemplate the world around us. Consider the things outside ourselves. God is in the midst of them and God provides.
I think to myself, “This is so much easier to say than do!” Currently, Jeff has been doing a sermon series about prayer, focusing on different forms of prayer that make up our Christian traditions. Taking the time to contemplate God and the world around us that God created takes us away from worrying, and allows us to open up to seeing the world around us as God would like us to see it!
When was the last time you took notice of the world around you? When was the last time you allowed yourself to contemplate God to the point where you had no worries?
As verse 33 states — “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” This is what God is telling us will happen when we stop worrying about the stuff that does not matter, when we stop putting our hearts into worldly things, and when we take notice of the world around us. Don’t worry, take notice!
Thought for the day: Do I see the world around me and put my heart into Godly things, or am I more concerned about my worries and achievements?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.