Thursday, May 18, 2017

Are You Worried? Consider What Are You Leaning On.



Look at the birds of the air….Consider the lilies of the field… —Matthew 6:26, 28

{CHAMBERS} ““Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin”— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. […] In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. […] The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. […] If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.”

{ELGIN}  The Christian life is really quite simple .. focus on God first .. and the rest will follow.  Trust in God fully and the way will be clear to you.   (Matthew 6:33) “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  What things?  All of your needs that you worry about.  And in the process of placing God first, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”  Sounds simple and it is, so why is it so hard to do?  Because we want to do it ourselves.  Because we lack faith and don’t do the things necessary to grow our faith.

There is a song by Rich Mullins that goes “Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You. Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You. I will seek You in the morning And I will learn to walk in Your ways And step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days.  If you want to experience the abundant life, it can only be found through a close and consistent relationship with the Lord.  It is simple but hard, no impossible, to do if you insist on getting in the way with your own effort and plans.  Two words come to mind … stop it!  Another song. “Learning to lean, I’m learning to lean.  I’m learning to lean on Jesus.  Finding more power than I ever dreamed, I am learning to lean on Jesus.”  Living by faith is something that we learn, step by step.  But we must take the step by faith.

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