Recently, as I was reading Luke 12, I was drawn to the following verse:
“Sell
your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure
for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop
holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can
destroy it." (Luke 12:33, NLT)
Jesus said this immediately on the heels of instructing His disciples to not give in to worry (Luke 12:22-32). As I re-read it several times, it occurred to me that worry is a possession! Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm just a worrier, that's what I do, it's how I'm made"? Yet Jesus encourages us to let all of that go. He came to free us of every bondage, including worry.
Worry is not a personality, it is a possession.
We are to sell it off! The "currency" we receive in exchange is faith. With faith in hand, we listen for the voice of our Father, step out in obedience and give to those in need as the Holy Spirit directs. The process of operating in faith and giving to others in need is a treasure we store in heaven. We can only lay up those treasures on this side of eternity.
So how do we get rid of worry? Several days after I received this, I had a dream in which a young lady was demonstrating figure skating on an icy street. The ice was uneven and rough but she was able to navigate it with ease. She said that it was all the time she spent on rink ice, really learning and experiencing how the blades of her skates move over ice, training her balance and strengthening her body, that enabled her to be able to do this. She said she would "breathe" her way over the rough ice, her feet sinking into and becoming a part of it - knees always bent, ready to flex.
As I woke up from the dream, the Lord revealed that this is true in our spiritual life as well. The more time we spend with Jesus, (really seeking His presence), the more we will learn how to move with Him, maintain our balance and be strengthened for the road ahead. We'll keep our knees bent (in prayer) and be ready to flex. This prepares us for the rough ice on the "streets". On the flip side, if we are just spending time going through religious activities, we will be hard, rigid, inflexible and unable to navigate the rough patches.
Worry, like so many things that weigh us down, is best removed through displacement. "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need" (Luke 12:31, NLT). We have the privilege of seeking God, receiving from him everything we do need in our lives and letting that push out everything we don't need. We do not have to imbibe in the "wine" of worry! It yields a horrendous hangover and, if we allow ourselves to go back to it repeatedly, it becomes an addiction destroying our lives and impacting the lives of our loved ones.
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
We can choose a Spirit-led life with eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and to trust Him no matter what. There will always be wrongs, injustices and problems to clamor for our attention. It will not all be "fixed" here. Our purpose here, as redeemed children of God, is to be His, receive His love and pour it out to others.
Selling off worry, that possession that likes to possess us, frees us to release gifts of love, peace and joy that can be shared here and now and stored up as an eternal treasure that can never be stolen or destroyed. The Buyer is right here and the terms of the sale have already been completed. Jesus paid the price in full on the cross! It is simply up to us to accept the transaction. There is nothing in this world that can make us a better offer!
"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]" (James 1:17, AMP).
So how do we get rid of worry? Several days after I received this, I had a dream in which a young lady was demonstrating figure skating on an icy street. The ice was uneven and rough but she was able to navigate it with ease. She said that it was all the time she spent on rink ice, really learning and experiencing how the blades of her skates move over ice, training her balance and strengthening her body, that enabled her to be able to do this. She said she would "breathe" her way over the rough ice, her feet sinking into and becoming a part of it - knees always bent, ready to flex.
As I woke up from the dream, the Lord revealed that this is true in our spiritual life as well. The more time we spend with Jesus, (really seeking His presence), the more we will learn how to move with Him, maintain our balance and be strengthened for the road ahead. We'll keep our knees bent (in prayer) and be ready to flex. This prepares us for the rough ice on the "streets". On the flip side, if we are just spending time going through religious activities, we will be hard, rigid, inflexible and unable to navigate the rough patches.
Worry, like so many things that weigh us down, is best removed through displacement. "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need" (Luke 12:31, NLT). We have the privilege of seeking God, receiving from him everything we do need in our lives and letting that push out everything we don't need. We do not have to imbibe in the "wine" of worry! It yields a horrendous hangover and, if we allow ourselves to go back to it repeatedly, it becomes an addiction destroying our lives and impacting the lives of our loved ones.
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV).
We can choose a Spirit-led life with eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and to trust Him no matter what. There will always be wrongs, injustices and problems to clamor for our attention. It will not all be "fixed" here. Our purpose here, as redeemed children of God, is to be His, receive His love and pour it out to others.
Selling off worry, that possession that likes to possess us, frees us to release gifts of love, peace and joy that can be shared here and now and stored up as an eternal treasure that can never be stolen or destroyed. The Buyer is right here and the terms of the sale have already been completed. Jesus paid the price in full on the cross! It is simply up to us to accept the transaction. There is nothing in this world that can make us a better offer!
Photo by David Bartus from Pexels
"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]" (James 1:17, AMP).
“Moses said, ‘Please. Let me see your Glory.’ God said, ‘I will make
my Goodness pass right in front of you; I’ll call out the name, God, right before you.’” (Ex 33:18-19a)
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