What, Me Worry?
"
Look
at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value
than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
Have you even wanted to be a
bird? I didn't, except I thought it would be nice to be one of those "eagles"
mentioned in Scripture (too often we're "eaglets" and not eagles). But
one morning, while I was typing away at my computer keyboard, I glanced
out the window and saw a little sparrow, pecking at something. The bird
was outside and all it had to do was eat, but I was stuck inside,
concerned about something that seemed important. I thought - it would be
nice to be "free as a bird" and fly away!
The true problem with work,
whether you do it in a building or not, is that the worker is a servant.
Even if you're the boss, you serve your clients, or in some manner serve
the needs of society. Servitude is hard for us, but we of the church are
supposed to be servants: "Let
this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus… who made Himself of
no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness
of men" (Philippians 2:5,7).
Pastor Dave Rader said, "Everyone
wants to be a servant until you start treating them like one."
That kind of attitude (I was tired that morning) filled me as I looked
out the window, saw the little bird, and wished for a moment that I
could fly away.
But God has so much more in
store for us than pecking the ground for seeds, or flying from tree to
tree. As Hannah Whitehall Smith pointed out, the "birds
of the air" in the Scripture
for today, represent the material universe. We look at the universe and
marvel at its beauty, its depth, and the physicist will glory in the
mathematical precision of it all. For every star that becomes a fiery
nova, there are billions that follow intricate paths around some point
for seemingly endless years. The universe is run like a complex,
fine-tuned, and wonderful clock. The human race, by comparison, seems
like a pack of mice in a pantry. Everywhere you don’t want us; there we
are!
Yet we, His people, lowly though
we may seem, are of more importance in God's sight than the whole
material universe. Jesus Christ created the universe and all that is in
it. In Psalm 102:25 we read, "You
(God) laid the
foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of Your hands."
Hebrews 1:8 speaks to God the Son, Jesus Christ, and in that context,
verse 10 quotes Psalm 102:25, identifying Jesus as the One who created
the interstellar vastness of outer space.
Jesus the creator, did not
directly die for the physical universe, though the material realm will
benefit from His act. But He did personally die for you and for me. And
we (as a group and as individuals), didn’t particularly care for Him
when He was here. Governor Pilate of Judea pronounced Jesus "innocent"
(Matthew 27:19) of all charges against Him. The onlookers were the
representatives of the whole human race at that moment, and they shouted
in response, "Crucify
Him" (Matthew
27:22-23).
It wasn’t just those at His
trial who were the problem. It’s you and me: "ALL
have sinned and come short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23). I am the problem (so are you) and there is a wonderful
Solution to our need: "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8). We as a race did not like Him or want Him, but He gave up
His life that we might live.
The context of our Scripture for
today (Matthew 6:26 – the "birds
of the air") is about worry. Jesus
started the immediate context in Matthew 6:25, with the surprising
statement, "Do not be
anxious..." I say "surprising"
because we’re thought to have a "screw loose" mentally, if we aren’t
concerned about safety, money, health, and the like. A famous character
from the "Mad" magazines of my teen years seems ridiculous, because he
smiles a silly smile and asks, "What,
me worry?" Reasonable concerns are
not what the Lord was speaking about. In fact, the whole section
concludes on that point: "Seek
first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you"
(Matthew 6:33).
Seek the Lord! Bring your worries to Him. Stop
carrying the burden yourself on your comparatively small shoulders.
Shift the weight to Him and you will begin to find that He is carrying
the load, of worry, of guilt, frustration, fear – everything that you
never could bear anyway! He died for your worries. He died for you.
From the Lord’s perspective, you and I are the little
bird on the ground or the mouse in the pantry. Actually, He refers to
the people of this earth by the unflattering name: "
grasshoppers"
(Isaiah 40:22). If you are annoyed by His comment, you just don’t
understand God. He is eternal, beautiful, wise, all powerful, infinitely
loving – and we are not! From His vantage point, we are far less than we
think we are. And yet, He became a "grasshopper"
(a man) and died a miserable grasshopper death, that we might live!
We tend to think highly of ourselves, and that is why
we often resent our jobs, our monetary situations, circumstances and
even our bodies. We think we deserve more. The person who doesn’t "like
themselves" really feels life (God) owes them – big time! So we want to
"fly away" from who and what we are.
Don’t run away. Instead, take your worries to the
Lord. Martin Luther was talking to the birds as he walked through the
woods: "
Good
morning, theologians! You wake and sing. But I, old fool, know less than
you and worry over everything, instead of simply trusting in the
heavenly Father’s care."
Trust in the Lord. We really are like birds, mice and grasshoppers in
His sight, yet He loves us, and we can trust in Him.
Lord, we receive you now. Thank
You for dying that I might live. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. I
give you all my worries and I trust in You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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