by Bill Hall
Don’t strive for what you should eat and what you should drink, and don’t be anxious.
Luke 12:29
Material sustenance is a means to an end, not the purpose of life. And anxious worry will only hurt and never help us.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your truth! You teach us the best way to live. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
If that’s how God clothes the grass, which is in the field today and is thrown into the furnace tomorrow, how much more will he do for you—you of little faith?
Luke 12:28
Faith subsists of confidence that the will of the Lord God Almighty is in your best interest. This is what Jesus is affirming here. God cares for the brief life of the flowers of the field. So He will care for us.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your care, concern, and compassion. You are holy, just, faithful, and beneficent. I will praise You forever for Your wisdom! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Consider how the wildflowers grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.
Luke 12:27
God has given a special glory to each of His creations. The flowers seem to be inconsequential. And yet they are among the most beautiful things on this planet.
There are many things the Lord can give us that we can never get by labor. There are needs in our lives that we can never meet without His intervention. And, these are the most important things too. For example, joy, peace, patience, and real love.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the special things You put into our lives. We would never know what we were missing, and that would be so sad! You alone may make us whole. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
Luke 12:26
For many of us, adding a year to our life, or even an inch to our height, is not a ‘little’ thing. But, considering the fact that we cannot do it, how can we judge the relative difficulty of such an accomplishment?
Thus, Jesus is speaking mainly of the ability to do these things. If a person is unable to do these things, what would make us think we could change so many other things in our lives by way of worry? The rest, indeed all, is in His hands, not ours.
Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You! You are the joy of our hearts. Thank You for delivering us from worry. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying?
Luke 12:25
We may have a growth that is worrisome. Maybe it is a hair in the wrong place, or a mole that mars our features. But, we cannot change it through worry any more than we can grow physically taller by that method.
The Lord knows our needs and sees all of our growth. He alone is able to manage these things with any certainty. Oh, the rich may succeed in changing their face or body, but the result is by no means guaranteed.
Worry is worthless. That must be our motto. And, remember, worry is a temptation for all of us, even if we say we never worry.
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving to us the hope that we can have in Christ. We do not have to live lives full of worry and anxiety. We can instead live in confident faith that You have everything under control. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?
Luke 12:24
God cares for the creatures He has created. Though impacted by sin, the earth still is under God’s watch care. We are even more valuable than the birds who find their food in abundance.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your provision! Your blessings are the joy of our hearts. You are so gracious. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
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For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
Luke 12:23
This is a life-altering concept. And, we find it throughout Scripture. We are designed for something more than just survival.
The need for survival is a mercy. It reminds us that we are dependent upon the Lord, which is a very good thing. But, we must understand that life is about so much more.
We are designed to be living expressions of the glory of Almighty God. Our bodies are meant to be conduits for His light and power.
Heavenly Father, thank You for making us! We so easily forget that You made us. We are Yours, and we have a great purpose. You have desires for us. We will live to bring glory to You, and yield our bodies as Your instruments. Thank You for designing us the way You have! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Then he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.’
Luke 12:22
How can He say this? Surely we must consider what we will eat, and what we will wear. Are we meant to go through life with a completely ‘whatever will be will be’ attitude?
No. But notice the word worry. A young child with good parents has need of these things but does not worry. Children who are well taken care of are content to throw their concerns elsewhere. We are not meant to be laissez-faire, but to be dependent as is a young child.
Worry need not be part of our vocabulary. Instead, we are meant to live our life looking to Almighty God for our supply, support, and satisfaction. We are meant to trust Him, and He is indeed trustworthy.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the best Father anyone could have. We know You have a plan, and that we can trust You in difficult times. You are good beyond measure or description! In our uncertainty, which is where we live, we can be certain of Your love. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
Luke 12:21
Here we have the true value we should seek, to be rich towards God. This is what is worth living for.
Heavenly Father, thank You for telling us the truth! Value is important to our short and frail lives. You are so kind and good. Your blessings are abundant and merciful. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’
Luke 12:20
This man had taken comfort in his possessions. He had forgotten about God, and was contented, thinking his supply protected him from everything. This was truly foolish.
The Lord refers to the man’s life as if it is on loan. And indeed our lives are on loan from God. He is in control.
All that this man had prepared for himself would now be consumed by others. Some who might benefit from this would be the poor and needy who this man should have been helping all along.
Heavenly Father, we can depend upon You for all that we need. But more than that, You know more than we do and we can look to You to guide our lives and give us purpose. You are altogether wonderful! You are holy and true! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.