Slices
Prepare
If you can, head outside or to a window, and spend some time observing God’s creation (whatever that might be where you are!), and thank God for all he has created and sustains.
Bible passage
Do not worry
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 labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour 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.
Explore
We live in an anxious world, full of unknowns and things over which we have no control, and sometimes, a command not to be anxious (v 22) can feel overwhelmingly unattainable.
But Jesus was not speaking from an ivory tower. After all, he spent his life talking to different people with various worries, concerns and ailments. In this passage, he recognises we might worry about food, drink and clothes (vs 23,29) or our lifespan (v 25). His tone is not chastising. In fact, he points us to a tender God who feeds birds (v 24) and delights in simple things like grass and flowers (vs 27,28).
Our Father is a God who loves and values us (v 24) and gives us what we need (v 30). So instead of being anxious, we are to aim to seek God and to care for others (vs 31–34). As Paul prayed for his brothers and sisters in Christ, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 15:13).
Respond
Whatever anxieties you are facing, pray that the Holy Spirit will fill you with peace and hope in God’s love, as you trust in his care and provision today.
Deeper Bible study
‘We rest on thee, our shield and our defender. / We go not forth alone against the foe. / Strong in thy strength … in thy name we go.’1
Jesus often used vivid hyperbole to make his point. He does not mean that we must never be anxious, never have concerns about anything at all. A parent should be anxious about a sick child. We should all worry about the coronavirus. Jesus himself was worried about what would happen to the disciples after he left them2 and he agonised about the unimaginable horror of the cross.3 There are, however, two keys in the passage to understanding exactly what Jesus meant. First is his opening word, ‘Therefore’ (v 22). Luke intends us to understand that Jesus’ words immediately follow the parable of the rich fool, a crucial connection spoiled by a heading in my Bible. We must not allow ourselves to become like him, preoccupied with material things and selfish pleasure. As Jesus frequently points out, the more we possess, the harder that becomes. Following Jesus awakens our consciousness to the spiritual dimensions of life. When the rat race of materialism starts to control us, we must remember Jesus’ words: ‘life is more than food, and the body more than clothes’ (v 23).
The second key is in Jesus’ conclusion, where he lifts our thoughts of earthly life into an eternal dimension. As Jesus’ ‘little flock’ (v 32), we need not be afraid, no matter what happens to us. Do not forget that Jesus’ words, ‘Do not be afraid’, were spoken when he was on the way to his cross and his followers were on the path to persecution and death. Of course we fear pain, but beyond pain and death lies eternity. God cares about us and about our ultimate future. The God of the universe, the Creator of stars and galaxies, cares even about birds and flowers. God knows their lives and takes pleasure in them. This same God is pleased to give us the kingdom.
Lord of the needle’s eye, to whom all things are possible, forgive us when we value material things. Help us to discern the still small voice. Take us to eternity.
1 Edith Cherry, 1872–97, 'We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender' 2 John 17:11–19 3 Mark 14:32–36
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 46,47; 1 John 3
Pray for Scripture Union
During the autumn, the Holidays and Missions team run training sessions for those who will be stepping into overall leadership for the first time in the coming year. Please pray for the team as they plan and deliver the training, and for those who take part, that they will be inspired and equipped for their new roles.
