The Vine: February 26, 2024
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”
This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)
“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 than food, and the body more than clothes? Look 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If 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—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
These words are part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5-7 and reflect his teaching on the Kingdom of God. This is Jesus’ longest recorded sermon, and in it he shatters the common beliefs of his day to reveal an alternative worldview and a new way of living for his followers. Whether Jesus is talking about who is blessed or how we are to treat others, his words are as shocking and revolutionary today as they were when Jesus first spoke them.
Yesterday we continued our journey through Lent and our sermon series entitled, “Questions Jesus Asked.” The question we considered came from this scripture, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Jesus would have been preaching to all kinds of people on the hillsides of Galilee that day—poor people who had very little and rich people who had plenty. His counsel to them all was the same, “Don’t waste your time worrying!” It was if Jesus was trying to let them in on a little secret: the same God who watches over the birds, lilies, and grass will provide and care for us, too
I once had the privilege of hearing Corrie Ten Boom speak. She was a Dutch watchmaker, Christian, and Holocaust survivor who helped an estimated 800 Jews escape Nazi extermination. She was a woman of remarkable courage who said, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength." Living in constant fear of her life, Corrie realized that she would only do so much to survive and help others to do the same. But ultimately, she learned to live one day at a time, and focused on trusting God with today.
Jesus is challenging us to do the same: Live one day at a time, for tomorrow has enough trouble of its own. Trust God to do what we can’t. Seek God’s kingdom first. Or, as Jesus put it, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” We can easily complete that question with our own worries: “Can any of you by worrying...fix your problem, pay the bills, heal your broken relationship, keep you from getting older, keep your child from getting hurt or sick?” The list is as endless as all the things we worry about.
In his book, “The Divine Conspiracy,” Dallas Willard weighed in on Jesus’ words writing, “With this magnificent God positioned among us, Jesus brings the assurance that our universe is a perfectly safe place to be.” He adds his own translation of Jesus’ words, “Tomorrow? Don’t worry about it. You do your worrying about tomorrow tomorrow.”
I don’t know about you, but I need some help in this area! Maybe you can relate. Perhaps we all need to take a moment to stop and gaze at some birds....and let them teach us something about life and living a bit more worry-free.
Questions for Reflection
How do you think the people in Jesus’ day responded to his teaching? Do you think his words came across as unrealistic or out of touch with reality? Or, did his words reveal a different reality?
Read Matthew 6:31. What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear? What are your biggest worries lately?
Does “trusting God” mean that we have a “care-less” or irresponsible attitude toward the things we worry about the most? What does it look like to do everything we can and still trust God?
Jesus knew that our worries were rarely about today, but uncertainty about tomorrow. What does it mean to you to seek first God’s kingdom today and trust God with tomorrow?
Prayer:
“God, you take care of the sparrows of the air and the lilies of the field. Take care of me and my loved ones, too. Help me to trust you and your love for me and the world. Forgive me for seeking my own kingdom and my own security on my own terms. Today I place my life in your loving hands. May your peace fill my heart and overflow in all I do and say in the lives of others. Amen. ”
Peace,
Pat
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