"Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out,
a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
Luke 12:32-34
The little lamb follows her shepherd, taking comfort when he uses his staff to gently guide her along the path. Suddenly she comes to a fork in the road and becomes confused, wondering which way she should choose. One way looks promising, wide and smooth with lanterns lighting the way. The other route is rocky with a tight entryway and nary a foothold as it takes travelers along the edge of a harrowing cliff. She looks to her leader and his smile brings her comfort. He enters the narrow path and she follows willingly. (John 10:14, Matthew 7:13-14)
Following Jesus as my Good Shepherd means He will lead me on paths of righteousness for His namesake. (Psalm 23) To those around me, my choices seem foolish and risky, but to me there is no other choice if I want to walk at the side of my Lord. I can take heart that He has given me the kingdom, if only I'd be willing to enter it.
Let Father Provide
My family is in the middle of a crisis of faith. You see, God has called my husband to step back from his college studies and focus completely on his business. This will mean less income for a time because we will no longer receive the educational support he earned during his 24-year Army career from the Veterans Administration. God has also called us to take a leap of faith and pay for our daughter's college expenses so she won't rack up any student loans. In a nutshell, we have less income but more expenses.
We could easily solve this dilemma with common sense and worldly wisdom. My husband could let his business go since its not bringing in much income and get a job working on the nearby military installation where he would earn a regular, steady paycheck. I could also try to get a job to bring in some extra earnings. If we did this, our bills would be paid and life would be pretty easy. Unfortunately, it also means our hearts would be in turmoil as we thought of all the youth my husband would no longer be working with and encouraging as a part of fulfilling the mission of his business. I would no longer work with the children in our neighborhood, disciple women or write. In a nutshell, we would trade our calling for going after what we need.
Jesus said His sheep should not behave as the pagans do who have no Father. (Matthew 6:31-33) They spend their time working to provide for necessities because if they don't do it, who will? I, on the other hand, have a heavenly Father through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13) who knows what I need better than I do. I can trust Him to provide and no longer have to concern myself with the necessities of life.
Instead, I can focus my time and energy on doing what God has called me to do. This frees my mind up to think about excellent and praiseworthy things instead of worrying about my circumstances. (Philippians 4:8) It also gives me the time to learn more about the God who called me and of His ways instead of coming up with a plan to provide for myself. In this way, God is my leader and I simply follow.
While I don't know exactly how God will provide for our expenses this month, He is giving us an inkling into what He is doing in our lives. He is opening doors and we are confident He will supply our needs at just the right time.
In the kingdom my Father has provided I need not worry about how I'll get by, but instead purely trust Him to make available to me whatever I require to live.
Sell Possessions
Stacks of newspapers lined the hallways of her home. Every available space was filled with stuff. Clothing, knick-knacks, appliances, and all manner of possessions were crammed into the overcrowded house. There was nowhere to sit, or even to stand comfortably. This was not a home, it was a storage space.
While I may not go to the extreme lengths as someone who hoards, I do tend to want to save things for future use. My friend always tells me that when I buy a new piece of clothing, I should always give one of my old garments away so that I never have too much. This goes against my naturally tendency to make sure I have enough. For instance, if I find a great buy on something I use often in cooking, I want to buy it and store it for future use, thankful that I won't have to buy that certain item for the next few months.
While its not bad to plan for the future, this way of thinking tends to be a tad self-centered. God has given me a kingdom where He is the King and I am His daughter. I need not worry about my own welfare but can instead pay attention to what breaks His heart. Is there someone who is suffering and could use that food I purchased on sale? Maybe those towels that are taking up space in my closet would be of better use hanging in the bathroom of the single mom who lost everything in a fire. It could be that the man who rides the bus to work everyday and struggles to take care of his family could use our second car more than my family could.
As I follow my King, He will show me how to use the stuff He has provided for His glory. He will also show me how to give away some of my emotional baggage. I tend to lug around fears, doubts, the desire to control and many other excess burdens that hamper my ability to trust God. Giving away these possession makes room for more of His Spirit to inhabit my being, resulting in His Fruit being more evident in my life. (Galatians 5:22-23)
In the kingdom my Father has provided, I don't need to hold onto any physical or emotional possession, but can let them go in order to rely solely on Him.
Make Eternal Investments
We have seen it happen over and over again: A man puts his all into becoming successful. He reaches the pinnacle, earning all the trappings of a victorious life and it seems he has it all. Then, one day he shockingly takes his own life in despair, unable to live any longer with the emptiness within. To the astonishment of all those around him, the pain within himself was more than he could handle. The life he had worked so hard to attain was not the life that satisfied his heart.
There is no doubt about it, I will reap what I sow. (Galatians 6:7-8) If I spend my time going after things I think will satisfy me, my life will end in death and destruction. If, however, I dedicate my life to pleasing God and following Him step by step, I will be rewarded with an abundant life for all of eternity. The two frames of mind cannot coexist in one philosophy. Either I live for me, or I live for Christ: I can't have it both ways.
Living for Christ leads to life eternal. When I trust in Jesus as my Savior, His blood covers all my sin making me appear holy and blameless before a Holy God. As I commit my life to Him, making Him to be the Lord of my life, my own desires and wants begin to fade away. Over time, there is less of me and more of Him. I begin to desire to build up more of the treasures I will find in heaven: Things that are important to God like mercy, grace and love. Gone are my desires to be exalted and I find myself wanting only my Father's rights to prevail.
Making an eternal investment also means I stop living my life based on my feelings and pay more attention to God's leading. Every once in a while I'll get to see the views from the mountain tops where everything seems to exist as it should be and it all makes sense. In an instant, I'm so close to God I can practically touch Him. I feel ecstatic; as if I could do anything. But, as Oswald Chambers said, we can't live on the mountaintop. Instead, he said, "We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle."
I can't live my life based on how I feel. I have to take on the power to descend to the wilderness and rough it out for His purposes. I must trust that He has a plan, especially when I feel uninspired, stressed out or in the depths of despair. God is still God, despite my circumstances, and when I focus on the investments I am making that will last for all eternity, I'll have the strength to go on.
In the kingdom my Father provided my desires or feelings do not determine my path but I instead sow seeds that will bring forth heavenly fruit.
There is so much to fear in this world, but when I keep my eyes on the Good Shepherd, He will lead me down the path toward life. As I travel through His kingdom I learn that my Father provides all my needs if I will only let Him, I can travel light and spend my time doing kingdom work, and I can invest in eternal treasures that will bring glory to God. My Father has already given me this kingdom. When I enter in, I find my heart is focused wholly on Him and discover that it's a great place to dwell!
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop going after my needs and simply do as God is calling me to do, no matter how risky it seems.
When do I use my common sense to make decisions instead of looking to my Shepherd for guidance?
How am I afraid to follow the narrow path because it seems so dangerous?
