ESOCS Devotional 10 January 2023
TEXT: MATTHEW 6:24-34
MEMORY VERSE: “And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” Matthew 6:30 NLT
God is our Father. He wants us to ask for our needs from Him in prayer. We must ask in faith, and then trust that He will hear and respond to our requests without fail. However, we must ask in Jesus’ Name, since He is our only way to the Father. In other words, through prayer, we petition God to meet our needs such as food and drinks, daily cleansing from our sins, strength to overcome temptations, safety and deliverance from difficult circumstances, (Matthew 7:7). In responding to the above, a believer must not be overly anxious about the material things of this world (Luke 10:41). A true Christian must come to the understanding that life does not consist of those things the worldly people value so much (Matthew 4:4).
In our text, Jesus teaches that if God cares for the birds that put forth no effort to plant and harvest crops, then surely, He will take care of His children. Our Lord and Master wondered aloud, why men should be so worried about these things that are abundantly available from the Father of all creation. His exhortation here is that if God takes care of grass, flowers and birds of the air, then certainly He will take care of His loving children. His major point of emphasis is that believers desire that the will of the Father be done in their lives (Matthew 6:10). This implies that our Father in heaven knows what things we need even before we ask (Matthew 6:8). However, it is also important we understand that God responds quickly to those who truly submit to His will in all things. It follows therefore that God will take care of those who seek Him and the Kingdom first.
However, our submission here is not that believers should fold their hands. This will amount to indolence. Rather, while we strive to work hard for our daily survival, Jesus encourages us not to be overly anxious or concerned about tomorrow. In order words, we must not add worries about the future to the responsibilities of today. Worry works against your faith in God (James 1:6). The more we work by faith, the less worried we become. Therefore, we must work by faith as true believers and new creation people (2 Corinthians 5:17). If we wholly believe and trust Him, He will surely supply all our needs, according to His riches in Glory. Absolute faith is all we need. Waver no more; only repose absolute confidence in God.
- Faith and worry or anxiety are contrary to each other. Do you agree?
- Lord, since it is impossible to please you without faith, give me the grace to follow.
FURTHER READING: Leviticus 26: 14-30; Song of Songs 8: 5-7; Ephesians 6: 10-23
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
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ESOCS Devotional 10 January 2023
