once again i find that it has been some time since i have last written much of anything. my desire to write more and more seems to vanish quicker and quicker as time progresses and "life" takes over. like so many other things held so dear, i continue to need to fight to make time for writing.
and here i am sick, home instead of work, mulling over recent past events. so much has happened in the short span of time since last writing. new jobs, new place to live, new dog, soon to be new bunnies, and as always, new problems and accusations.
but something seems to come up with every problem we have encountered. not so much a phrase, but a point. that is, you have to do things for yourself. you have to provide for yourself. you have to figure everything out for yourself. you, you, you. and yet, Scripture tells me the exact opposite.
God, God, God.
it makes me sick to see so many people call themselves followers of Christ, and yet are blindly enslaved to the worlds ideas that God does not care about you. that instead of trusting God to provide for our every need as He has promised, we should instead fight for all of these things we "deserve" on our own.
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
this is from 1 Timothy, where Paul tells Timothy that this life is not about cars and money and big houses. it is not about getting everything that this world has to offer. you see those things pass away, they do not last. so why put your hope, your faith in them? Jesus said something similar as recorded in the gospel of Luke,
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
our focus should not be on us. our focus should not be on fulfilling all of our needs ourselves. truth is, no matter how hard we try, we will never succeed. we will always be short a buck, and thinking a newer house or car would make us happier. it makes me wonder, should our needs even be of concern to us? Jesus said not to worry about them. Jesus said that they would be provided for by the Father. all we have to do is seek His kingdom. all we have to do is follow Him.
it seems to be an issue of trust at the core. do we trust ourselves, or God? the first appears to be easier than the latter. i find it interesting that trusting in the intangible is often times difficult for people, yet it is what we are commanded to do. though, i am sure that the intangible is real; i am sure that the God of the Bible is real, alive, presence with me right now. i have seen His mighty hand provide for my wife and i over and over and over again. without fail, when it appears that we just wont make it, He shows up. when all the critics told us we would never find jobs and should just settle with fast food work, God provided amazing jobs for both of us. when the critics told us we should just settle with government housing, God opened the door for us to rent a house and bring our three dogs at an affordable price and in a safe community. when the critics told us that God only helps those who help themselves, we stood back and looked to God. and you know what?
HE showed up, mightily.
it is not that we are to be lazy. we are not commanded to sit around and do nothing, waiting for God to do everything. the point is, where is your trust? is it in yourself, or in God?
He knows what i need, when i need it, before i ever think about it. and i know, by His word, that He will be faithful to provide. all i have to do, is trust and seek Him. seek His kingdom. not my own, not myself.
after all,
HE is God, not i.
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