22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
This would be the death of our economy if people began to live this kind of life! We are driven by food and clothing. The satisfaction of the basic cravings of life and the concern over our outward appearance occupy a large portion of our income and efforts. Billions are spent to block feeling the least bit of discomfort. We have snacks at hand so that when our stomach feels the smallest twinge of emptiness we fill it to overflowing. Or if we are bored we eat food. Or if we don’t feel good about ourselves or our life we eat food. Remember the news stories recently about the growing obesity problem here in America! Have you heard the term “comfort food”? Jesus said that our worries, our most basic needs, center around food and clothing. For people of that day, and for billions around the world even today, the next meal cannot be taken for granted. Millions here in this country are only a paycheck away from worrying about food, rent, and car payments. And Jesus tells us that there is no need to worry about these things. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful life if we didn’t spend any of our time worrying about these things? But, even the richest people worry about these things. They worry that they will lose all their wealth, their security blanket. But as Jesus-followers, we don’t need to worry. God will provide. Jesus tells us not to worry! He will take care of the basic needs of His followers. Sometimes He will use us to take care of the basic needs of others through our wealth. Our blessing can be the blessing of God in another’s life. Part of being a Jesus-follower is the joy of giving. I want to encourage you to give toward the needs of others. If you haven’t started yet, your local church is the place to start. Then find a missions organization like Samaritan’s Purse and give. Give toward a specific project that you can connect to. I give to Iraqi projects. Since I have a connection to that part of the world, and care about those people, I give of my wealth to them. Find projects that you can connect to and give. Give a little bit more each year. Learn to live on the same income and give all the raises away. You will be amazed at how good it feels to give.
The Arnold Journey 