For Thought and Meditation - Monday, May 23

[Pine Baron]

Good morning all. Boy, did I need to hear this today! Have a safe and blessed day.

Our Careful Unbelief
By Oswald Chambers

…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. —Matthew 6:25

Jesus summed up commonsense carefulness in the life of a disciple as unbelief. If we have received the Spirit of God, He will squeeze right through our lives, as if to ask, “Now where do I come into this relationship, this vacation you have planned, or these new books you want to read?” And He always presses the point until we learn to make Him our first consideration. Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.

“…do not worry about your life….” Don’t take the pressure of your provision upon yourself. It is not only wrong to worry, it is unbelief; worrying means we do not believe that God can look after the practical details of our lives, and it is never anything but those details that worry us. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No— “the cares of this world” (Matthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, “I will not trust when I cannot see”— and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit.

The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus. Facing Reality, 34 R

[square butte]

Yes, this message hits home for me as well. Thanks for putting it in front of me one more time this morning. God Bless

[dverna]

This an interesting message. It confirms my unworthiness...because I am a prepper.

As a prepper, I depend on my own wisdom to be prepared for adversity rather than depending on God to provide my needs.

During an "event", I am prepared to kill others to protect "stuff" I have put aside for adversity. "Stuff" to be used to provide for my family and few close friends. I know this goes against the teachings of Jesus.

And even with the impact of this message today, I continue not to trust in Jesus to protect and provide for me or those I love. Does a believer need more than 6 months of food and a lifetime of components?

[USMC87]

Amen, i would say every one of us struggle with this from time to time but I know that I serve my Lord and Savior in faith believing that He will provide for me!

[Ickisrulz]

This an interesting message. It confirms my unworthiness...because I am a prepper.

As a prepper, I depend on my own wisdom to be prepared for adversity rather than depending on God to provide my needs.

During an "event", I am prepared to kill others to protect "stuff" I have put aside for adversity. "Stuff" to be used to provide for my family and few close friends. I know this goes against the teachings of Jesus.

And even with the impact of this message today, I continue not to trust in Jesus to protect and provide for me or those I love. Does a believer need more than 6 months of food and a lifetime of components?

Everyday we all prepare for the future so we have stuff to eat, somewhere to live and something to wear. Proverbs has a lot to say on this. We also take steps to care for and protect our families. Paul talked about the basic requirement of caring for one's family.

The problem, in my judgement, is when we go too far and become obsessed with worldly matters to the point of ignoring what God wants from us. We cannot be reckless with our finances or safety either. We have to achieve a balance and that is normally found when we don't hurt ourselves, our family or others.

Our faith is demonstrated when we work in cooperation with God. We plant the garden and rely on God to make it grow. We each have our role. Part of man's role is using his wisdom to anticipate future needs and act accordingly.

[Wayne Smith]

I make the distinction that He has already provided for me - in the savings, investments, and yes, the ability to prepare.