A dear brother- in- grace, Alan, has written a wonderful post on not taking care. I have been reflecting on this and the Lord has shown me that in the areas of my life when I “took care”, God’s grace could not flow. Why is that so? It goes back to what the Lord has been saying to us about not relying on our self effort but to depend on His grace in the challenging situations in our lives. When we do not rely on God's grace, we will not be at rest and tend to be full of cares and worries. We will then "take care".
In the sermon on the mount , Jesus made it very clear to his listeners in Matthew 6:25-34 :25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NIV)
The birds in the air do not know how to take care! They don’t have bank accounts for rainy days or plots of land to sow and harvest. The same goes for the wild flowers in the field which the Bible says are here today but gone tomorrow. Yet the Lord takes care of them. They don’t take care of themselves or for themselves, OUR heavenly Father feeds and clothes them. They don’t have to labour or toil with their effort, God’s grace freely flows to them and in abundance! When the Lord clothes the flowers, they look even more beautiful than Solomon in all his glory!
What a wonderful Daddy we have! He cares so much for the birds in the air and the lilies in the field, how much more will He not care for us who were created in His image? So why should we “take care”? Matthew 6:31 tells us clearly, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (KJV) How do we take thought? We do that by saying or verbalizing our worries and fears. The Bible says we do not have to worry because “…your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
The next verse goes on to tell us that when we “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. " So what is the kingdom of God? “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” (Romans14:17 NIV) When we seek after God’s things, the things that we need and want will be ADDED to us.
Like Brother Alan, I am NOT going to take care anymore, for when I do, God’s grace cannot flow. I am going to cast all my cares on Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)
Are you going to join us in NOT taking care?
