| Making sense of life |
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Things money can’t buy  Pretty much without exception, people become followers of Jesus because they realise that Christian faith can improve their life in a way that nothing they could ever buy would improve it. Sometimes it is a shock that makes them realise this – the loss of something such as a job, a friend or their health. Sometimes it is joy – such as the birth of children and the longing to give them a future full of hope. Sometimes it is disappointment that the possessions they own don’t make them feel fulfilled. In those circumstances, those who are fortunate enough to stumble upon the teaching of Jesus realise that he directly addressed all these issues. With warmth and encouragement, he told people that they did not need to go through life held back by worry. And that truly is something that money cannot buy. Let’s look at Jesus’ own words about this. These were treasured, remembered and passed on by his followers, then written down by one of his biographers about fifty years after his death: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. From Luke 12 Of course, Christians have the same physical needs as everyone else in the world. They lose their jobs and their car keys. They break their crockery and their hearts. But Jesus told his followers not to worry about these things for three reasons:v 1. God has proved that his care extends to every aspect of creation, so imagine how much he loves humans, the pinnacle of all he has made; 2. He knows precisely what every individual needs; 3. Christians need not be preoccupied with the same things as the rest of the world. Faith in a good God can totally overcome the paralysing worry that brings misery to your inner life. And because of that, you can find the resources you need in order to address what is happening in your outer life in bad times as well as good. That security really is something that money cannot buy. |
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