Warning about Worry and the Lord’s Return. Luke 12:22-40 There are some things in our lives that we find hard not to worry about. Our family, in general, and our children and grandchildren, in particular, seem to be a constant source of worry to born-again Christians. We know that every person will be in heaven or hell depending on whether they have been saved by the grace of God or if they have rejected God’s offer of mercy. Our souls have joy when we hear of any person being saved. But when it is one who is near and dear to us by nature’s ties that we hear of coming to Christ in repentance and faith, we have a great relief of a personal burden being lifted. One of our family members telling us how God saved them is more important to us than life itself.
The problem with worry is that it is a distraction that closes our minds to the higher concerns that positively impact life rather than negatively. We worry because of the many “What ifs” we focus on. By lifting our thoughts above the sad consequences we imagine when we worry and focusing them on the grace of God, we rise above the causes of worry. He knows about our every grief and sorrow, as well as our every need. He can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
God created life in many different forms when He made this world. He knows what is needed to maintain that life in all of its various forms. Animals, birds, plants, and humans are all given life and maintained by our Lord Jesus Christ, who made and sustains them. He knows the present circumstances of our lives and the needs we have. Food and clothing (which includes shelter) are necessities for our life and well-being. It is normal to have anxiety over the unknowns of life. It is also correct for us to provide for those dependent on us for things needed for survival. Our Lord Jesus taught His disciples how to avoid anxiety about such things so we won’t focus our minds and lives on unnecessary material things. There are temporal and short-lived things on earth that pass away. In contrast to them are the things relating to the kingdom of God that are eternal.
Planning and working are essential and good in the practice of normal living. Covetousness and greed are bad because they prosper at the expense of other people. Faith frees us from the anxiety that comes when we focus our attention on “things” that bind us to the world and material success. Worry doesn’t fill any need and is a needless waste of time, mind, and soul. We have the Creator of all things loving us constantly, and He knows our real needs. He can easily and fully meet those needs. The problem comes when what we want and need are two different things. Worry comes when what we want doesn’t happen, and we wonder why. Our Lord maintains and sustains us and secures us when we live our daily lives according to His will.
Simply trusting in our Gracious Father in heaven and taking everything to Him in prayer is probably the most effective and important way to overcome worry. Articulating the reason for our worry often clarifies the whole matter, and lifting the burden happens because we have cast it upon Him who cares for us. Also, taking time to plan a way to deal with daily living and having a strategy ahead of time to deal with potential problems are ways to keep our perspective on life clear and manageable. Sometimes, we may need the help of others to meet a need or solve a problem. Take the time to define what we think the need or problem is, then condense it into one or two sentences. That may give the answer even before we ask for help from others. One thing it will do. It will clarify our needs so they can understand why we are seeking their help.
Our Lord gave two simple, clear illustrations to settle the minds of those who are prone to worry. God provides food for birds, but they have to spend all their time getting it. He made the point that what we need is available, but we can’t just sit and wait for it to drop into our lap. It was God’s intention that Adam work, even when he was in the garden. Food was available for them but they had to take it for themselves. Because of sin, it became much harder to get what was needed because competing harmful plants took the required nutrients from the food plants. Protection from the elements is needed, and God’s provision for that is all around us. When we trust Him, what He has for us is there for us to take for ourselves in the way of clothing and shelter.
Spiritual values come first in God’s order of things. He expects us to seek the kingdom of God first before all other matters. When we do that, we are conscious of God and His provisions for our fundamental needs, which are there for us. One of the biggest causes of worry among Christians is that they work hard to get far more than they really need. The more we have, the more we have to worry over. One desire leads to another, especially if we compare what we have with other people. The result of that is that worry increases as material things increase. The more possessions we have, the greater the causes for anxiety and worry.
Anything that keeps us in a condition of worry should be sold or gotten rid of in some way so that we can focus on serving God and His people. That is when we lay up treasure in heaven for the glory of God. We cannot “buy” treasure in heaven, but we can use what we have here for God and those who are around us. Many of God’s servants in far countries are blessed by the labors of those who are laying up treasures in heaven for the honor of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is great heavenly value in that which is done out of love for God and needy people. When we bring our lives into line with the will of God and His objectives, our worries will generally go away because of opportunities of far greater importance. We will rejoice in what He does with what we give of our resources in service for Him. The values of heaven can become our motivation for our lives and labors on earth – and we don’t have to worry about heavenly currency devaluing like the money we use on worldly things.
Linked with the warnings about worry over things on earth are the warnings concerning the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is returning as He promised, first to take His church home to be with Him and then to reign in righteousness over the whole world. Those who serve the Lord need to be consciously and constantly aware that He is coming soon. We know He is coming when the Father sends Him, and He will not tarry. God has His timetable of events that He is carrying out to fulfill His sovereign purposes.
Because He has gone away to prepare a place for us, we cannot sit back and quietly wait for Him to come. The opposite is expected of us. We need to be active in our service for Him, with our “loins girded,” our “lights trimmed and ready,” ready each day for Him to come at any moment.
According to our reckoning, the Lord Jesus has been gone for a long time, and we look around at the increasing darkness of this age with concern for the lost who live without God and without hope. The second and third watches of the night would be from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., which is before the dawning of a new day. Our Lord intends that we work for Him while we wait for Him. While we wait for Him, we also watch for Him to come suddenly at any time.
Worrying is a wasted effort that brings no results and wastes time. The warning against it is to be replaced by the assurance of faith in our heavenly Father. Trust in Him is honored by Him. Even though our faith is feeble, it is unshakeable in the One who will never fail. The coming of our Lord motivates us to be actively engaged in things that last for eternity and not the empty things of earth that will soon be burned up.