In my Bible reading and daily living, it seems as if God is pointing me to Himself. When I try to look down at myself, as often I do, God seems to lift my chin and draw me back to Him.
Do we own anything that does not belong to God? Do we eat anything that was not made by God? Do we Breathe any breath that is not ordained by God? The answer is no. Proverbs 16:4 clearly states that "The Lord hath made all things for himself: year, even the wicked for the day of evil." Every thing that is, or was, or will be, was made by and for God.
And yet, we spend so much of our time trying to see how much of God's possessions we can hold in our arms and call our own. We consume the Almighty God's creation upon our own lusts. We attempt to draw praise for ourselves from the lips of men whose mouths and minds were made by and for God. Indeed, all our efforts to do so are nothing more than vanity.
I would like to illustrate the previous paragraphs with an example from my own life. I don't like to eat. I love to eat! If I could, I would probably eat all day long, and then wake up in the middle of the night to eat some more. Because of this, I worry where my next meal is going to come from and what it will be. I'm not alone in this. A certain, unnamed sister of mine, feels this fear so strongly that she packs food when she goes to other people's houses, in case they forget to feed her. I find it incredibly humorous when I realize how concerned I am that I might starve, when I could go several days without food, and be perfectly fine. In fact, it might be advantageous to my health if I did skip a few meals. Others may not struggle with trusting God in this area, but I believe that most people have forgotten that God is the great Provider and that He promises that even the seen of the righteous shall not beg for bread.
In my Bible reading several verses have stood out to me as to what we should turn our mind to when we worry about our physical bodies.
Proverbs 15:16-17
"Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."
Proverbs 16:8,19
"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right."
"Better is it to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."
Mattew 6:25-34 really arrows in on this subject. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Do you doubt the very Word's of God? Do you doubt that He who has promised is able also to perform. I would say, "No, I don't doubt." But my life says otherwise.
Lord God, teach me to trust you to provide. Teach me to live each day to fufill your purpose and plan for me and not my own. Teach me to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humply before my God.
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