When You Worry, Look for God’s Kingdom
Luke 12:29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
Luke 12:30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luke 12:31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
Luke 12:32 ¶ “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Before we get into the meat of this, we need to establish something: worry is not a sin. If you can’t swallow that pill, then swallow this one: Jesus died for all of our sins already, and worry is one of those. Yes, all over the place the Bible says “Do not worry” but I hear it quoted by more people in a sense of self-condemnation like this: “I know I’m not supposed to worry but XYZ.”
The Devil is the one that condemns. The Lord is the one that forgives and knows how to to mercy and justice in the most perfect way. So don’t add anxiety about God hating you for worrying to the anxiety of whatever you are already worrying about. If you are doing that, you just gave the devil a 2x power up!
Instead, be free from worry. It is God’s “good pleasure” to give you The Kingdom! He’s delighted to do it. He is excited to watch you get it, shake the box, unwrap it, and enjoy it.
The Kingdom.
So we can be generous. Instead of donating the piece of junk clearance car with dead batteries, we can give some poor kid toy car that we would actually buy our own kids. Instead of donating your old socks to the thrift store, you can feel the joy of buying Hanes men’s white size 12 tube socks and giving some homeless people just what they want.
Any Hallmark movie can sell us on the truth that the intangible gifts are better than anything else, but what if we pursued that fully in January through October too? I think a lot of us do this already, but we don’t always have an outlet for it. Track down a local charity and get to know the folks there well enough that you can help when they have a slow period in March.
You can also befriend some needy people to know what they are really needy for. Pray and ask God to put them in your path. He will. Just like He took care of some birds earlier this week with your bird food, He’s got some people on a collision course with you for some other needs.
And then tell God thank you for the chance to store up your treasures somewhere other than your house. Praise God that you got to loan out your car jack to help the most hated neighbor on the street. That is actually awesome in God’s economy. It helped you loosen your grip on some stuff (even though the guy brought it back in good shape) and it started a conversation between you and the shut-out, rejected neighbor that can’t talk to anyone else on the street!
Seek His kingdom. Everything else will be added. Jesus said it just like He said “Don’t worry,” so the next time you’re worried, see where God’s Kingdom is hiding in the same situation. He’ll add it in.
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