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Gleanings From The Word

Category: anxiety

  • A Lesson From the Lilies – no need to worry

    A Lesson From the Lilies – no need to worry

    I snapped these tiger lilies some years ago. I came across them in my photo file, and they brought a passage of Scripture where Jesus reminds us to trust God to mind.

    And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Matthew 6:28-30

    So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

    It’s a familiar passage. I’ve often seen it illustrated with beautiful white lilies. It’s true that many lilies are white, but the Middle East has a plethora of other colorful lilies as well. 

    It’s impossible to know for certain what species of lily Jesus was speaking of, or what his hearers pictured. In fact, it might not have been a lily at all. The word translated in our English Bible is the word שׁוֹשַׁנָּה, shoshanah in the Old Testament, and κρίνον (krinon) in the New. Either word can mean any of a variety of flowers 

    The image is likely far more colorful than we picture. The call to not worry doesn’t change if we change the flower. Jesus is making the point that is that even ordinary, fleeting field flowers surpass Solomon’s glory in their God-given beauty.

    We often skip by passages like this because they are so familiar. Yet, it’s worth stopping here to meditate.

    If God put that much care and beauty into simple flowers, how much more does He care for us? We were designed to be in eternal fellowship with God. Just stop and think about that concept for a moment.

    It’s profound. Who are we that God should love us that much?

    If God loves us that much, what do we have to worry about in the long run?

    There is great peace and joy in knowing we can trust God to guide us through whatever we face. It’s humbling to imagine that He cares for us that much.

    It’s no wonder that the Psalmist could write… What is man that You remember him, and the son of man that You care for him? Psalm 8:4

    Trust God. He has it all under control.

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

    You might find this interesting: “Are there tulips in the Bible”

    SUMMARY

    The “lilies” Jesus pointed to were likely far more colorful than the familiar white lily, and that vivid image sharpens the point. If God clothes fleeting wildflowers with beauty that surpasses Solomon’s glory, how much more does He care for us, made for eternal fellowship with Him?

    TAKEAWAY

    The flower Jesus referenced may have been any number of colorful wildflowers. The image is richer and more vibrant than tradition has led us to picture. 

    God lavishes extravagant beauty on simple, short-lived field flowers. His care for us, designed for eternity with Him, is all the more staggering. 

    The familiar passage is worth stopping to really sit with. If God has this covered, what do we have to worry about?

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    Right belief or right living? It’s both!

    Beautiful roses, one of my favorite flowers.

  • God Provides for the Chickadees (and for us)

    The Easter celebration is over for another year. We celebrate the Risen Christ and that He provides us with a way to redemption. He is risen! He is risen indeed.

    I wrote about chickadees last week, but something I saw yesterday brought them back to mind.

    I looked out at our patio, and a chickadee was busy pulling threads from some burlap around one of the plant pots. Soon, he had so many threads that it looked like the bird had a fuzzy burlap-covered beard.

    It was joined by its mate, who did the same thing. They’d fill a beak full of threads, fly away, and quickly return. The nest they are building must be very close.

    I wasn’t able to get a photo because of where I was standing and I didn’t want to move for fear of causing them to fly away. Today’s image of a chickadee in a nest is a stock image from the web.

    Those chickadees were busy, but not anxious. They were working, but not worrying. They were gathering what they needed from what the Lord had already provided. In this case it was threads from our burlap.

    How often do we fail at that very point?

    We can become troubled because we do not see everything we think we need for the days ahead. We want the whole answer, the whole supply, and the whole plan laid out before us. Yet so often the Lord provides in smaller portions than we would prefer—not because He is stingy, but because He is teaching us to trust Him.

    Our Lord told His disciples to look carefully at creation and learn from it.

    “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:26 

    That does not mean life is free from labor. The chickadees still had to pull the threads. They still had to carry them. They still had to build. But the materials were there before they ever arrived. What they needed had already been prepared for them.

    That is often the way our God works.

    Sometimes He provides strength for one day, not ten. Sometimes, He gives wisdom for the next step, not the whole journey. Sometimes, He supplies just enough grace for the present burden, and not a bit more than is necessary. But it is enough, because it comes from His hand.

    Israel learned this in the wilderness when manna was given daily:

    “Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My law.’”  Exodus 16:4 

    And Paul rested in that same truth:

    “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

    Perhaps you are in a season of building just now. You may be trying to hold things together in your home, your work, your ministry, or your own weary heart. You may feel that what is in your hands is very small compared with what lies before you.

    But do not overlook the threads.

    The Lord is not careless with His children. He knows what is needed, and He knows when it is needed. If He sees a chickadee gathering burlap for its nest, He certainly sees His own people and the burdens they carry.

    So, receive today’s provision with thanksgiving. Use what He has placed before you. And trust Him for the next thread when it is time.

    Be blessed
    Kevin

    Chickadee – an amazing bird
    The God Who Provides

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    Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12
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