SURRENDERING MY STUFF

Luke 12:22-34
22 Then Jesus said to His disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 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! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 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! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. . . . 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Stuff. Our culture is consumed with getting more stuff. If it doesn't fit in your house, put it in the garage. When that gets full, rent a storage unit. Just get more stuff.

If you struggle with wanting things you don't have, or if you're convinced that more is better, read Luke 12:13-40. That's where Jesus gives us His most concentrated teaching on the believer's relationship to money, possessions, and our desire for more.

Jesus gets right to the bottom line: Your life "does not consist in the abundance of [your] possessions" (v.15). Yet we often think it does.

"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!" (v.24). So why are we more valuable than the birds? God has set His love on us. Our value is in the One who loves us.

But if I don't worry about preparing for the future, who will? What if I get sick? And the answer is, What if? Worry doesn't lengthen your life. Jesus said if God takes care of a field of flowers, how much more will He give you what you need! And then this gentle rebuke, "O you of little faith!"

We're like, Man, it always comes back to faith, doesn't it!? Ding! Ding! Ding!

Instead of worrying, we are to "seek His kingdom" (v.31). Be intense about God's thing. You take care of God's business; God will take care of your business. That's how it works!

I've never known a man or a woman to be greatly used by God who did not learn this lesson first: It all belongs to Him. Give your best to God. Give everything to Him. And watch Him flow blessings back into your life that you don't even have room to contain.

Surrendering your stuff to God is one of the most invigorating things you will ever do. Why? Because "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (v.34). --James MacDonald

DESTINATION POINTS

• When I evaluate my desire for stuff, what do I want more than anything right now?
• What does God want from me? I will give sacrificially to God's work, then evaluate my heart in 3 months.

bottom line: Give it all to God and the blessings will flow.

soul journey