Colossians 3:17, 23: Whatever you
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks through Him to God the Father. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Luke 12:22-32: And
He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry
about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as
to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body
more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow
nor reap; they have neither storeroom nor barn, and yet God
feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of
you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If
then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other
matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor
spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself
like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today
and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You
men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will
drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the
nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these
things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to
you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has
chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
A movie came out in 2006 called “Facing the Giants.” It
is a very well done ”David and Goliath” high school football movie where a
small Christian High School team faces big challenges to reach its goal of
being State Champs. In one scene a small, second-string kicker faces a 51 yard
attempt to win a game, and his coach simply tells him, “Do your best, and let
God do the rest.” I love that! Such a simple statement, yet it holds the secret
to a blessed life. First of all it implies total trust in God. Is it not just
another way of saying, “Jesus I trust in You”? Whether or not the little guy
made the kick, there was no way he could lose. By doing his best, he was
following what our first Scripture passage tells us: “do your work heartily as
for God and not for men.” In other words, do whatever it is you are supposed to
do as a gift to God. Do not worry about the outcome: if we have given the work
to God, then the outcome will be exactly what God wants it to be, since our
salvation and that of our fellow man is all that matters to God. Earthly praise
and recognition do not interest God and therefore, they should not interest us.
How peaceful life can be when we take to heart what Jesus
tells us in the second passage above: “And do not seek what you will eat and
what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these
things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you
need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will
be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your
Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” The truth is we shouldn’t
need more in our lives than those words. We have been given the kingdom! Yes we
have to work and yes we have to have material possessions in order to survive,
but ask yourself this question, “Do my possessions own me, or do I own them? What
if I lost my health, my wealth, a family member? Would I still trust in the
Lord? Would I still serve Him joyfully if I had nothing?”
God provides for
His creation but He gives to each member of it what He deems necessary. Do you
think it would be wise for the lily to be upset because it cannot sing like the
lark? Sit and gaze at a field. The flowers grow, the birds sing, the rabbits
search for food, and all are cared for. The only created being in that field
upset and worried about tomorrow is you! And you are God’s greatest delight, so
how much more does He have in store for you than for these other creatures!!!
We must face the cold, hard truth about ourselves: we worry and fret because
God may not be willing to give us what we want, and we are not so sure that we
really want what He is willing to give. We worry that our will may not be done.
Let us ask ourselves today how much we are willing to trust in God, and rest in
the peace of His comfort and care. Let us give up worry for today, and give in
to God’s loving embrace. We may just make the kick, but guess what? It won’t matter
anymore. We will be so happy to have done our best, and to have left the rest
to God.
