A Reflection

Luke 12:22 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on
23 The life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment.

I’ve come to see how true this is. We read the Bible and this scripture is so easy to quote. But what about doing it? Many of us are worried about what we’ll eat or what we’ll wear. Which hairstyle do we do next? Weave, clip-ins, wig or braids? Curly or straight? Long or short? Black, brown, red or gold? What about our nails? What colour do we paint them? Which shoes? Which lashes? Which makeup? Which phone, which tablet? Which laptop? Which car? Which flavour of ice cream?

For many of us, our lives revolve around our bodies. Yet Jesus said life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Is it really true?

The Apostle John said in 1 John 2:15, 16

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. 
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the father but is of the world

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But why? Why are we asked to not love the world and the things in it?

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Material things don’t last. The weave or braids will be removed in a month; a new haircut or style will be needed in three weeks, the shoes will get worn out. Fashion trends will change and the things that are the latest will soon become outmoded. The car could get damaged, the documents could get lost or destroyed, the nails could get broken. The world passes away, and its lust with it. Only God and the people in Him remain.

But does this mean that as Christians, we should be totally unmindful and uncaring about material things? Should we go about with unkempt hair, refuse to use the latest technology and be looking miserable? No. we need them to function and relate with this physical earth. If we are to live without such things, in the words of Apostle Paul, we would need to get out of this world.

So what is the balance? What does God require of us?

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Jesus puts it beautifully in Matthew 6:33 – But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

True satisfaction comes when things are in their right order. When God has the priority in our lives, we wouldn't need to worry about material things because they would come naturally, by themselves. All will fall into the right places at the right time in the right, God ordained way. We wouldn’t need to worry about where to get money to buy a new phone because our heavenly father knows that we have need of all these things. (Matthew 6:32)

Then we would cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7). We would be anxious for nothing, but we would give all to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding shall keep our hearts and minds in Christ (Philippians 4:4-6). This is because God shall keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him because they trust in Him (Isaiah 26:3).

AMEN