Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on....And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothe the grass...how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Luke 12:22, 25, 27-28
This passage is one that has been running through my mind a lot lately. From thinking on it and considering it many different ways, I have found a number of lessons behind the actual words here (which will happen often when considering something thoroughly and continuously). I pray that the sharing of some of my thoughts blesses you and opens your minds as my own mind was opened.
This passage is one that has been running through my mind a lot lately. From thinking on it and considering it many different ways, I have found a number of lessons behind the actual words here (which will happen often when considering something thoroughly and continuously). I pray that the sharing of some of my thoughts blesses you and opens your minds as my own mind was opened.
TRUST and FAITH
Trust is something that is of such vital importance in every situation and relationship that we encounter. Whether we are dealing with a family member, significant other, friend, or merchant, trust must be present or nobody gets very far. These verses from the Bible speak very strongly on the concept of trust without once mentioning the word.
"...Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on...If then God so clothe the grass...how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"
The idea of "taking no thought" can be very scary. If we are to "take no thought" that means we are not to worry, stress, or be concerned for our very lives. We are simply not to think about it. Well, if we're not to think, worry, or stress over it, who will? How will we live? How will we function? Well, consider the lilies. The lilies are not losing their petals as some of us lose our hair or health over stress. They don't lose their beautiful scent as some of us lose our joy and zeal for life because of worry. They don't allow their stems to bend over and make their beautiful petals face the ground as many of us walk the streets with our brows constantly furrowed or our beautiful faces toward the ground because of constant concern. And why do we worry? The passage asks us "...which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?" Basically, "how can worry benefit you?" Allow me to answer. Worrying does not benefit us in any way! Not only does it not benefit us, worrying can change nothing.
The idea of "taking no thought" can be very scary. If we are to "take no thought" that means we are not to worry, stress, or be concerned for our very lives. We are simply not to think about it. Well, if we're not to think, worry, or stress over it, who will? How will we live? How will we function? Well, consider the lilies. The lilies are not losing their petals as some of us lose our hair or health over stress. They don't lose their beautiful scent as some of us lose our joy and zeal for life because of worry. They don't allow their stems to bend over and make their beautiful petals face the ground as many of us walk the streets with our brows constantly furrowed or our beautiful faces toward the ground because of constant concern. And why do we worry? The passage asks us "...which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?" Basically, "how can worry benefit you?" Allow me to answer. Worrying does not benefit us in any way! Not only does it not benefit us, worrying can change nothing.
Right now someone is saying "well the lilies don't have to stress, worry or be concerned. They're just flowers. They have nothing to worry over." And you're right. They have nothing to worry over. When it is time for them to grow taller, God sends the rain. When it is time for them to grow stronger and open their beautiful petals, God shines the sun. Pollination/procreation? No problem! There are birds, bees, butterflies, flies and wind for that.
You see, they have FAITH, or confidence, that these things will be done. When we have confidence (faith) in someone, we can very easily trust that that person will fulfill their end of any agreement. The lilies don't have to think about doing anything. When their season has come it all simply happens. And you walk through a garden and see them. Big, beautiful and smelling lovely. They are free to do what God put them on this earth to do because they have FAITH (confidence) that God will do his part. Therefore, they are able to TRUST him for their every need.
REST
The other day I took a walk through one of the many gardens in central park (as I do many days). As I walked, I looked at the beautiful flowers and trees. And then I stopped looking and decided to actually watch them. And that was when I realized one of the reasons why I enjoy them so much. Because they were just there. Around them there was a frenzy of bees, butterflies, birds, wind, people, bugs large and small. And in the midst of all that, they were just BE-ing.
The scripture says "...they toil not, they spin not..."
Considering this part of the passage I began to wonder. I wonder how we all must look from the viewpoint of heaven. Running around here and there, concerning ourselves with tasks of varying levels of importance, worried of what other people think of us, stressing ourselves over things that really don't matter, stressing ourselves over things we can't change, praying for the things that we want and praying against the things we don't want. And because we're so stressed out, "toiling and spinning", we do not allow ourselves to rest. We don't take time to truly enjoy one another, take in the beautiful world around us, or truly live in our purpose. But again, consider the lilies. They're resting. And they're able to rest because they're trusting.
TRUST, FAITH and REST
TRUST, FAITH and REST
Now I completely understand how these concepts can be simple enough to grasp but difficult to execute. It is because they involve nothing that we can DO and CONTROL with our own hands. No, these concepts require spiritual execution. They require us to hand the reigns over and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will be taken care of.
"...Consider the lilies how they grow:...and yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these..."
We've all heard the stories of Solomon's great wealth. He was wealthy in gold, silver, ivory. You imagine that this man who had access to such wealth would never be surpassed in the way he presented himself, his physical stature and how he was adorned. And yet this passage tells us that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of the lilies of the field. In other words, Solomon was fierce honey! But the lilies are even more fierce!!
I don't know about you, but i'm definitely seeing that these lilies have got it made! And the reason they've got it made is because they are perfect in their ability to BE. They are examples of how to rest. And they are able to rest because they are taken care of. They have faith (confidence) in their creator and trust that he made them so he must be able to take care of them. That's what we must learn. He created us so of course he can take care of us! The problems arise when we, the creation, think we can take better care of ourselves than our creator.
We must learn to rely on our faith (confidence) in him. "But how?" you may be asking. Well, think of a moment in your life when nothing was working for you the way you wanted it to. Maybe you were let down by someone, maybe you were struggling with your finances, your living situation or maybe you were ill and didn't know how you were ever going to get better. Now think of how you came out of that situation. Eventually you got your joy back, your peace and your health were restored. You job situation shifted and your finances started to take a turn for the better. Think of how those situations turned around. Notice that they didn't turn around because you were stressing and worrying over them. They turned around when you finally said "I give up. What i'm doing is not working so i'm going to let God handle it". Friends, that is where your confidence comes from. The same God who changed those conditions for the better then can do it again for you now. Maybe you're still in one or many of those situations. You've seen other people come out but you yourself haven't come out yet. Well, the Word tells us that God is not a respecter of persons. If he did it for one he can do it for you. Just rest and know that he will. And here's the key. THANK HIM FOR IT NOW...even though you have yet to see the other side, know that there is light at the end of your tunnel. This knowledge in him and what He can and will do for you is where your confidence comes from.
When your confidence is there, inevitably you will trust him. And in trusting him, you will be able to rest. He has a purpose and plan for all of our lives. Stressed out and worried, toiling and spinning, we cannot accomplish this purpose. But when our spirits are at rest, we can walk into and accomplish everything he has for us.
When your confidence is there, inevitably you will trust him. And in trusting him, you will be able to rest. He has a purpose and plan for all of our lives. Stressed out and worried, toiling and spinning, we cannot accomplish this purpose. But when our spirits are at rest, we can walk into and accomplish everything he has for us.
And when we give ourselves to him completely we will realize that he will never let us fall or fail.
Be Blessed in Your Rest...
Be Blessed in Your Rest...
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