“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
Luke 12:22-23
There are a lot of commands in the Bible that we take as pretty serious rules. Do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, etc. We would probably all agree that to do any of those things would be considered sinful. But what about this command directly from the mouth of Jesus? “Do not worry about your life.” It’s just as straightforward of a command as the others. It couldn’t be written more plainly, not as a metaphor or a suggestion, but as command. But how often would we hear “worrying” listed among other sins like killing, stealing, or adultery? We probably wouldn’t.
As Christians, we have done a marvelous job of legalizing our faith. Don’t do x, y, and z, and you’ll be a good Christian. Go to church every Sunday and you’re a good Christian. We have all kinds of unwritten rules that we have learned to follow in order to be a “good Christian.” The problem is that Christianity is infinitely deeper than such a shallow list of do and don’t. At the heart, Christianity is about one thing: faith in God through Jesus Christ. It is by faith that we are transformed to live by the Spirit rather than the flesh. This is the proper means to following the commandments of Scripture – living according to the spirit. Not just following rules in order to attain some sort of righteousness or worthiness. In fact, that’s exactly the opposite of what Christianity is. But I digress.
If you’re living by the Spirit, if you have faith in Jesus Christ as your savior, then why do you worry? He told us over and over again not to worry, not to be afraid. Yet we forget those commands and focus on how good we are at not lying, cheating, or stealing. Arguably, this one is even more indicative of our faith. Anyone can follow rules. Every American citizens lives by those laws more or less. It takes true faith to be able to live without worry.
Take a moment to think about what your priorities are as a Christian. Are you out to follow rules and earn your righteousness, or are you focused on faith and relationship with God? Spend more time deepening your relationship with Christ. Learn to trust him. Grow your faith. Soon, you won’t be worrying. Instead, you’ll be unafraid and unaffected by anxieties as you wait joyfully for your reward in heaven. Nothing on this earth will be able to shake the hope that you have in Jesus. No worries in this world could ever compare. In the meantime, you know and trust that God will provide you exactly what you need.
Prayer:
Father,
Help me not to pick and choose the things I believe to be more or less important about Scripture. Help me to live by faith, not by a legalistic set of rules. Father, help me to deepen my relationship with you and grow in my faith so that I may not worry about anything, but trust you completely.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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