And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
A phone call came this morning from a good friend who is on the different side of the moon. It was a good chat as he shared about his 2nd time experience attending a church in Illinois, 20 miles away from his house. A mega church of 20,000 members strong. That’s double our current strength!What’s interesting was the pastor talked about the subject of money. Familiar topic as Ps Khong always tells us that somehow there’s this invisible string connecting our purse to our heart. How would you define a rich man? A rich person is not one with lots of money. Rather, a rich person is one who is contented with what he has. For that is true financial freedom. Comparison will not help. Yearning for more will never give you that kind of contentment.
Many times as Christians, we hold back, we think of the many other reasons we can invest our money in other than investing in the kingdom of God. I still remember even as a mature Christian, there was a time I rationalised to put the money supposed to be set aside for tithing into some study fund, that well, seemed very logical and right…in the eyes of men. Yet Joyce once challenged me, to still choose to give it to God and see what He can do. And God proved His point. I gave my tithe and I still graduated out of university.
An example was shared with me this morning about the pastor from this mega church. He used the analogy of himself bringing his family to MacDonald’s for a meal. After queuing and placing the food before his children, he reached for some fries. His son immediately tapped his hand and said, “Keep off my fries!”Isn’t it an irony that we sometimes tell God not to touch our finances, not to spoil our plans, not to interfere, when He was the one who gave us our every need? True richness is never having to worry…. not that we do not plan…. we still need to plan…just don’t hold onto them so tightly.God gave them to us in the first place.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew 6
Do Not Worry25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
