Hi friends;

I love when I realize that something I’ve been repeating for a while appears magically in my Bible.  It’s even better when it’s in those little red letters (for those that don’t fully understand that remark, that means Jesus is talking).  I guess it makes me feel like this faith I’ve been rebuilding for a while is actually doing something more than making me feel good on Sunday mornings.  Maybe the words are sinking in a bit.

This morning, I was reminded of an old Amy Grant song… “If these walls could speak”.  That trip down memory lane had me remember another of her songs – whose title I had to look up based on the lyric that was stuck in my head.  The song title was “Jehovah” – but over and over all that kept coming to mind was “Consider the lilies of the field…for how much more does He love His own, if Yaweh cares for them.”  I admit, it’s a deep line – and not real high on the everyday reality charts, but still, it’s what was rattling around in my head today.

So I knew I needed to do something about it and decided Google could help me figure it out.  “Consider the lilies” pops back Matthew 5:28.  But as I read that verse…and the verse before…and the verse after…it wasn’t what I had in mind.  There had to be another.  And that’s when I found Luke 12:25-27:

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider 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.”

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In my younger years, when I thought I knew more about what it took to be a “man of faith”, I would constantly argue that a verse here or there was being taken out of context.  It was as if I needed to say something to make myself sound smarter about the Bible – and exuded a bit of snobbery if nothing else.  I understand that some folks feel that need and I get it…and obviously, not in every case is it intended as snobbery.  But sometimes a simple line will speak to us in ways we’ve never read before.  Sometimes we “need” to see something outside of whatever context it was written in the first place.  Why is that?

Simple… things touch us in different ways, at different times, and for different reasons.

The fact of the matter is, the context for Luke 12 is pretty simple…Jesus was teaching…teaching the crowds that were constantly gathered around Him, teaching those who already thought they knew everything, and teaching His disciples.  This particular passage, Jesus had turned to the disciples in verse 22 and was instructing them about worrying too much.  Perhaps I’m reading too much into things, but Jesus didn’t seem to instruct on things unless there was a need.  I’m guessing these disciples had been questioning where they would sleep, how they would subsist (given that they had all walked away from their jobs to follow Him), where they would get new clothes, etc.  The questions were endless – like those of a sleepless child in the backseat of a long car drive “Are we there yet, Are we there yet, Are we there yet???”

The words answered their questions pretty succinctly.   And you know what else?  Nobody needed “context” to understand that simple passage.

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For a while now I’ve hammered on the points of MLK’s “fierce urgency of now”, or Henry Ford’s “believe you can or believe you can’t, either way you’ll be right”, or even my own line from my last blog about taking advantage of the only “now” you’ll ever get.  But you know what?  We all owe Christ’s words a debt of gratitude – for it was His teachings that taught us all we need to know.

Don’t worry about a thing – it doesn’t add a single hour to your life, and, if doctors are right, it could actually subtract from your life.  Instead, spend the energy you waste on worry and dedicate it to more healthy pursuits…like exercise for your body, or exercise for your mind, or…well…quite simply…exercise for your spirit.  Joshua 1:8 says simply, “Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Folks, the Bible came long before Henry Ford, long before MLK, long before Oprah, Tony Robbins, Joel Osteen, or anybody else you want to add to the list of great motivators.  If you want to get energized, and heck, even take a shot at being “prosperous and successful,” look no further than that Bible sitting on your shelf.  Read Joshua 1:8 for yourself.

And this one time, forget about the context.

Blessings

Tim

Lyrics from “Jehovah” as performed by Amy Grant

Consider the lilies of the field, Solomon dressed in royal robes has not the worth of them. Consider the lilies of the field. He takes after each and every need. Leave all your cares behind, seek Him and you will find Your Father loves you so.

Consider the creatures of the air. For all of the diamonds in all the earth have not the wealth of them. Consider the creatures of the air. Jehovah loves them with tender hand. He knows your every care, His touch is always there to see you through the night.

And Jehovah I love You so, and Jesus I want You to know, all you’ve done for me to set me free, I’ll never let you go. And Jehovah I love You so, and Jesus I want You to know, all You’ve done for me to set me free, I’ll never let You go.

Consider the lilies of the field. For how much more does He love His own, if Yaweh cares for them. Consider the creatures of the air. He takes after each and every need. If we ask Him for bread, will He give us a stone? Jehovah loves His own.

And Jehovah I love You so, and Jesus I want You to know, all you’ve done for me to set me free, I’ll never let You go. And Jehovah I love You so, and Jesus I want You to know, all You’ve done for me to set me free, I’ll never let you go.