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Luke 12:22-23
Any time we see the word “therefore” we should view it as instruction to review the previous passage because what we are about to read is a possible result or outcome for the previous. Therefore, Jesus instructs His disciples, because of the importance to not put our focus on things of this world such as money or earthly possessions, but that we should not worry about such earthly things as what we should eat, or the clothing that we wear. True life is so much more than to be concerned about these things (Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-23).
This is a command to not worry about trivial things – to not put our focus on the things of this world.
This is a command to trust in the LORD – to put our focus on the things of heaven so that as we strive to follow Jesus, we know that He will provide for our daily needs.
We must clarify that trusting in the LORD and striving to follow Him includes utilizing the gifts and abilities that He has given us to provide for ourselves and our families. It is also amazing to me that as we reach out to provide for the needs of others, many times God will in return provide for us through the person that we reached out to. It works both ways in the eyes of striving to please God and bring glory to Him through our lives. Jesus gave a new command in John 13:34-35 to love each other as He first loved us, that we should so love one another. He said that doing this will prove us to be His disciples. This is striving to follow Jesus with no prejudice toward one another, but looking after the needs of everyone as He first did for all of us on the cross.
Dear Lord,
Please help us to see that the clothing we wear and the food that we eat is important for our well-being, but that we should not come to a point of worrying about such things. To worry about something is to allow it to overwhelm us as it becomes the focus of our attention, and that pulls our attention and focus away from You LORD. When we worry, we are not striving to follow Jesus. When we worry, we are committing sin in that we are not obeying Your command to not worry. Please help us to discern the difference between worrying and being concerned about something. Please help us to put and keep our focus on You and bring glory to You through our lives. In Jesus name I pray, amen.