‘And he said unto his disciples, therefore, I say unto you, be
not anxious for `your’ life; what ye shall eat, nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on. For the life is more than the food, and the body
than the raiment.’ Lk. 12: 22-23.
JESUS commands us
not to worry, but why won’t we worry? Certainly, we have a lot of things
to bother about; and to a reasonable extent, they are the necessities
of life such as food, clothing and shelter.
Worry cannot fill any
of our needs, hence Jesus draws the attention of the believer not to be
anxious about them. He drew an analogy with the birds of the air and the
lilies of the field, how they neither sow nor reap, and yet, our
heavenly Father takes care of them. He was quick to add, believers are
of more value than them.
It is true that some persons worry on
some of these necessities, which sometimes bother on greed and
covetousness: even if you give them the whole world, it will not satisfy
their quest. No wonder, some suffer hypertension or have sudden death.
But this should not be so, our Lord, Jesus Christ is warning us against
the lust for the things of the world. The Bible is quick to add that
some in the bid to acquire these things, have pierced their souls with
many a sorrow, I Tim. 6v10.
The believer is counseled to have
faith in God, as an antidote to worries. We are to believe that God is
capable of meeting every of our needs, beyond our wildest imagination.
Yes, ‘…unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ‘Eph. 3v20.
Men
of old went through this eye of faith and we saw the great miracle God
wrought in their lives. In fact, each time we read about the roll call
of faith in Hebrews 11, one becomes encouraged because God never
disappoints.
Jesus assuredly said, to His disciples and by
extension to us, “be not anxious for `your’ life, what ye shall eat; nor
yet for your body, what ye shall put on. For your life is more than the
food, and the body than the raiment. Jesus’ comment is not a political
statement, which may or may not be fulfilled; it was a comment that came
from the Lord of life and who as it were has always identified with
those in need. The Bible said of Him: ‘…when he saw the multitudes, he
was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and
scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd,’ Matt. 9v36.
Therefore, let us earnestly cast all our cares and burdens unto Him for He cares for us.
Ven. Ernest Onuoha, Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta Stat
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