Lynnette Little, Certified Biblical Counselor

11/24/2022

"Give thanks to LORD JEHOVAH, because he is good, and his grace is to eternity." Psalm 106:1 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

07/26/2022

This is worth the time to watch!!

I like to talk about the big questions of faith, progressive Christianity, and skeptical claims against the reliability of the Bible and the truthfulness of ...

07/16/2022

As we look around our world, it is easy to be worried, to be weighed down, to be over-anxious. That’s how life goes, right? But is that how the Lord meant life to go? In the passage we’ve been exploring, we have heard Jesus say several times, “Do not worry!” If you are like me, that is much easier said than done. Now we come to the part where Jesus gives us the antidote to worry - the specific instructions on what to do instead of worrying about what we’re going to eat, drink or wear. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 BSB So let’s dig in!
“But” is a word often used to negate what was previously said or to offer a different option. Here, the word is a connective one that tells us that the following option is Jesus’s way to do things. This word can also be interpreted as rather, instead, one the other hand, yet, nevertheless, moreover, etc. (You get the picture, right?) We need to do something different!
“Seek” is the word “zeteo.” It is used 117 times in the Greek original text of Scripture. So it would not have been an unfamiliar word to the crowd. We think of seek as looking for, which can be quite passive. This word Jesus used has a richer, deeper meaning. It is searching for, a desire, to require, demand, deliberating, inquire, make efforts, keep trying to obtain. The HELPS Word-studies has a great definition: “properly, to seek by inquiring; to investigate to reach a binding resolution; to search, ‘getting to the bottom of a matter.’” No matter how you want to interpret seek here, it is a verb where we must take action!
“First” is a word we know well. It means the thing you do at the beginning, what you do before doing anything else. It is first in order of importance. So, instead of worrying, of utmost importance, firstly, we are to set about seeking…
“The kingdom of God”... Kingdom is about a king, a sovereign ruler, who has authority to rule. And the ruler here is God. The word “theos” is one we have looked at before. It means the Creator and owner of all things, the One who made us. It is God’s kingdom that we are to seek first, above all else, the first thing in our lives, the highest priority – to seek the kingdom of God! And remember, His kingdom is perfect! King Jesus is not a despot trying to wield power in a selfish way. King Jesus rules rightly in all things at all times, so it is more than safe to seek this kingdom!
“And His righteousness…” So there’s more than just seeking or working diligently to get to the bottom of what God’s kingdom is, we are also to seek first His righteousness. Righteousness is a big word that is a judicial term. When we accept Christ’s finished work as the eternal payment for our sins and stop trying to please God our own way, in and of ourselves, we are judicially credited with Christ’s righteousness. The term means righteousness, justice, justness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, His divine righteousness. It’s God’s judicial approval, what is deemed right after the Lord examines something. Whew! God gives us Christ’s righteousness, so as we are seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, we are seeking what the Lord freely gives us in Christ! We do not have to come up with the righteousness on our own. Praise the Lord! Keep seeking!
“And all these things…” All means all means all. Have you ever heard that? Indeed, this is one of those terms that we seldom can use because always, never, all, none – these are absolute numbers. It’s all or it’s nothing, right? And here it is all! “These things” refer to what Jesus has been teaching about. What things? Food, drink, what to wear – clothes! The things the pagans run after!
“Will be added” is all one word in the Greek – “prostithemi.” It means put together for a purpose, to put, to add, to increase, more will be given, proceed further, like reaching a goal. (It reminds me of the word prosthesis. Like when someone loses a limb, they are given a prosthetic part to take the place of what’s missing…)
“Unto you” This is personal, a personal pronoun. It specifically points to a person, the one who is doing what the Lord has said to do. Jesus is promising this personally to the one who will heed His word.
Jesus emphatically tells us that the antidote to worrying about food, clothes and drink (or our basic needs) is to actively go after or get to work in God’s kingdom and His righteousness. And when we do, Jesus promises that we will have all that we need. Easy-peasy, right? No! This is not a sit back and let things move along in any direction kind of thing! This commands action on our part!
Ask yourself these questions:
What if I took the time I spent worrying about (you fill in the blank here) and instead sought after what God wants?
What would that look like?
How would that order my thoughts?
How would that order my daily priorities?
What would I do differently than I do now?
Additionally, ask yourself these questions:
If I’m actively putting God first, His kingdom or rulership and His righteousness ahead of everything else, will I even have time to worry?
If the solution to worry is to put the Lord and all of what He wants first, what is keeping me from doing this? Repent of these things now!
Do I see how easy it is for the enemy to put thoughts in my head that keep me from thinking the truth and instead instill fear, worry and anxiety?
Do I see the battle that is raging in me, around me, in the world, the battle to be consumed with everything (what I really, really want, what I need, what people think of me, what the world has, how to be popular, how to keep up with materialism, etc.) except what the Lord wants? That’s the devil's goal.
Now to be honest and transparent, there have been some things going on in my life. Health issues, money issues, relationship issues. The Lord has allowed these things to test me and see if I am going to follow what I’ve written about worry! Each day has new opportunities to choose to seek the Lord, His kingdom and righteousness and wait for Him to take care of things while I keep doing what He has called me to do, OR I can sit around, paralyzed by fear, worry and anxiety stressing over the unknown, replaying thoughts and stories in my head. It can be a daily battle! Praise the Lord He has given me His Word to tell myself the Truth when things around me seem uncertain! Praise the Lord there is peace in the midst of the unknown.
Please!! Do a U-turn! Stop thinking about all those things that worry you and instead, fix your thoughts on Jesus, His Word, doing what He commands. It’s the only way to live!

07/09/2022

Today we are looking again at that familiar topic of worry! Why does Jesus spend so much time telling us not to worry? Why are we prone to worry? Today’s passage starts with a word we’ve become familiar with reading in Scripture. If you come to a “therefore” one must ask, “What is it there for?” And so we begin looking at Matthew 6:31&32. “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
“Therefore” is pointing back to this entire topic in Jesus’ sermon. Remember that He told the crowd that they could not love both God and money? Then He tells them not to worry about your life. He uses object lessons such as the birds that God feeds and the flowers that God adorns with beauty beyond what even Solomon could buy. And He lays it on the line. He asks heart piercing questions. Are you not more valuable than the birds? Can you add anything to your stature by worrying? If God makes the grass and flowers, fleeting as they are, clothed in splendor, won’t He clothe you as well, you who have small faith? This is what Jesus is building on.
“Do not worry saying…” Once again, Jesus plainly tells the crowd (and us) that we are absolutely not supposed to worry. You may recall, the word for worry here is “merimnao.” It means to be over-anxious about, distracted, troubled with care, to be torn to pieces by sinful anxiety, or to fall apart because we are overly concerned about something outside of our control. And that worrying leads us to say things we should not be saying.
“What shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or What shall we wear?” How much time do you spend wondering about what to eat, what to drink or what to wear? Is your mind preoccupied with satisfying your appetite? Do you long to go to a certain restaurant? Do you “have to have” something right now? A burger, ice cream, pizza? Do you have to have the right kind of drink? A certain brand of pop, tea, coffee or water? Do your thoughts dwell on what to wear? And is that to be dressed correctly for the weather, is that to get someone’s attention or to draw attention to yourself so everyone notices what you’re wearing? Jesus is exposing our hearts here…
“For the Gentiles…” Who are the Gentiles? The word for Gentiles here is “ethnos” which sounds like a word we hear often – ethnic, ethnicity. This word is defined as the heathen world or all the people that are non-Jews. That’s all of us (unless you are of pure Jewish descent.) But it goes even deeper – unbelievers.
“Strive after…” This is the act of eagerly seeking after, having an intense desire for, a demand or a craving for or having a want we turn into a need. What does this make you think of? It leads me to think of addicts. The ju**ie that just needs one more fix. The coffee addict that excuses sinful behavior because they haven’t had their coffee yet. The junk food ju**ie who will only stop at certain convenience stores because only that chain carries whatever it is they think they need. The ni****ne addict that uses to***co to calm their nerves or enables them to cope with circumstances. The power addict that wants to control everything in their world. The entertainment addict that watches or listens to things on their phone instead of carrying on conversations with people.
“All these things…” The things Jesus just mentioned, food, drink and clothing. Hang on a minute! It’s Gentiles that run after food, drink and fashion? It’s unbelievers who live for their next meal, their next drink, their next wardrobe piece? Isn’t this the way of the world? Isn’t this what the marketing industry works so hard to do? But do believers do that too? Yes! Ouch! We act like unbelievers, like orphans, when we seek “all these things.”
“And your heavenly Father knows…” Jesus is reminding the crowd here, and us as well, that God the Father knows. He knows. The One who created us and is committed to us, knows. And your – mine, our – implies those who have a father/child relationship with God. God knows… The Father is aware, He remembers, He considers, He knows.
“That you need them.” The Father already knows we require food, drink and clothing. He knows that our bodies need food to stay alive. He knows that we need hydration to stay alive. He knows we need clothing to stay alive. He knows what type of food we like best and that liver is not considered food by most people. He knows that water is necessary to life but not all water is equal. He knows we need clothes to survive the seasons here in the Midwest and everywhere! Since God is the Creator and Sustainer of us, doesn’t He know not only what we need, but doesn’t He also know what is best for us?
In these two little verses, Jesus is once again telling us – commanding us – not to worry. Do not get yourself overly concerned with food, drink and clothing. Do not expend precious energy worrying about what you will eat, drink or wear. If Jesus tells us something more than once, is it significant? Most likely! It seems that worry, anxiety, falling apart or going to pieces over something is a common act for people. It’s not like the silly song, “Don’t worry! Be happy!” Jesus is addressing real concerns in the crowd. And He is addressing real concerns for us today.
Instead of getting worked up over food, drink and clothes, we have to remember what Jesus said! He has told us: 1) Do not worry! 2) There is more to life than food, drink and clothes! 3) God feeds the birds, so won’t He feed you too, since you are more valuable than them? 4) God adorns the grass and flowers in splendor, won’t He clothe you too? 5) You have too little faith! 6) Stop worrying about food, drink and clothes! 6) When you spend precious time chasing after food, drink and clothes, you act like those who don’t have the Father. 7) Your Father knows what you need!
Today, take comfort in the fact that your heavenly Father knows what you need. He knows what you need for every single aspect of life. The Father knows what is best, He knows what is next, He knows all things! He has this! He is in control. We can surrender our pitiful excuse for control to the One who truly is in control. Let’s build our faith by reading Scripture and seeing how God provided for His children. Pray and thank the Lord for all His provisions. Spend time with Him, singing praise to Him, praying His Word back to Him. The opposite of worry here is not just being happy. The opposite of worry here is trust. Have faith. Believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. He knows.

07/01/2022

What does Jesus have to say about clothes? Why does it matter or does it even matter? What does Jesus think of the fashion industry? Last week got away from me due to other responsibilities (and I really wanted my lilies to be blooming, but they weren’t.) Today we are going to look at clothes specifically and what Jesus had to say about them. Matthew 6:28-30 says, “And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (BSB)
“And why do you worry…” Once again, we get back to the topic of worry and anxiety. Jesus is asking an interrogative question. And the subject of that question is worry - “merimnao.” As we’ve noted before, this word in the original language is an action word that means to be over-anxious, distracted, care more than I should, be drawn in opposite directions, to fall apart, be torn apart or to go to pieces over something. This is “like the force exerted by sinful anxiety (worry)” per the HELPS Word-studies. Why do we do that?!?
“About clothes.” The word here for clothes is “enduma.” We only find this word 8 times in the Bible. The word is used as “a garment”, “raiment”, “clothing”, “clothes” and means the other robe or what we wear that other people see, apparel.
“Consider how the lilies of the field grow:” The original word for “consider” in this passage is only used once in the entire Bible! The word is “katamanthano.” Katamanthano means to learn thoroughly, to examine carefully and to consider well or carefully. We miss much of the meaning of Scripture when we don’t have English words that translate the exact meaning. We are to learn thoroughly how the lilies of the field grow. And once again, the word for lilies is one that only appears twice in Scripture, both in teachings by Jesus. Hmmmm. And “field” here comes from the word “agros.” Does that sound familiar? Like Agriculture? It can mean a field that bears crops, it can mean the country, countryside, farm, etc. Grow: to increase, to mature, to become greater. How do the lilies in the ditches along the roads grow? How does a crop of lilies grow?
“They do not labor or spin.” A simple statement of fact. The lilies do not do any of the work necessary to grow. They are planted by someone (or by God’s natural process in the wild lilies.) They are watered by someone (or watered by God when He sends rain.) They are harvested by someone to sell or use for a flower arrangement (or left to fall away when the bloom falls away.) Lilies do not have anything to do with how they look.
“Yet I tell you that…” Jesus, using the object lesson of a simple flower, wants us to know something.
“Not even Solomon in all his glory…” Remember Solomon? The son of King David? The son of Bathsheba? The writer of much of Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes? The man that God asked what he should give him? And Solomon’s reply recounted the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to David and asked for discernment to be a good king. (1 Kings 3) And God’s response was not only to give Solomon wisdom and understanding but to give him the things he did not ask for: riches and honor. Solomon was the wisest man and the wealthiest man there was. He had everything he needed plus everything he desired. He was honored above everyone else in the entire earth in his day. He had glory and splendor!
“Was adorned like one of these.” Solomon, with all his wealth, his majesty, his splendor, with his temple and all that went with it, was not dressed as beautifully as the lilies that Jesus had told the people to learn thoroughly. Wow! Think about it! Jesus’ object lesson is not over though.
“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field…” Jesus tells us that God, “theos” the One who creates and owns all things, is the One who clothes the vegetation we see in the gardens, the ditches, the fields. (We think we have something to do with what grows because we plant seed, we cultivate the soil, we water the plants, but in reality, what are we doing that God didn’t first give us?) Then Jesus makes another special notation.
“Which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace…” Jesus is referring to the fleeting life vegetation has. We plant a crop one day and soon it is ready for harvest. Or look at the flowers. There are some that bloom only for a day, or a very short time. And “thrown into the furnace” can mean an oven, such as harvesting wheat and using it to make bread. Consider our grass today here in Iowa. It was quite green last week but the hot sun and no rain has caused it to brown and become burned. One day it looks great and soon after, it crunches underfoot because it’s dry and dead.
“Will He not much more clothe you…” Here Jesus expresses that God has put our clothes of much higher priority than that of the created vegetation. Yet again, Jesus is reminding the people that it is God who provides the clothing for us. Just as God has dressed the lily and the grass and the ditches and the fields (and aren’t they gorgeous?!) He has a higher priority to clothe us. Remember when Jesus made the point that we are more valuable than the birds of the air that God feeds? Now He’s telling us that we are more important, more valuable than the beautiful flowers, luscious grass and crops in the fields.
“O you of little faith…” Jesus’ words scold our anxiety, or worry sharply! The HELPS Word-studies notes that the word for “of little faith” “occurs five times in the NT, each time with Jesus rebuking the problem of failing to hear His voice. ‘Little-faith’ describes someone dull to hearing the Lord’s voice, or disinterested in walking intimately with Him. In contrast, the goal of life is to receive (obey) the Lord’s gift of faith in each scene of life.”
Ouch!! Were your toes just stepped on? Mine were! But as my friend Dave says, “I didn’t mean to step on your toes, I was aiming for your heart.” I firmly believe this is what Jesus was doing as well. He is aiming for our heart! Does Jesus care what we wear? Absolutely! He wants us to be clothed with what the Father provides for us, not what we want, not what the fashion trends are telling us to wear, but with what God provides.
And what is Jesus saying the solution to worry, anxiety, to falling apart is? In these few verses He tells us to thoroughly learn about the appearance of vegetation and see that God provides for its beauty and life. Then He chides us and challenges our thinking – God will do above and beyond for us what He does for the lilies and the fields. And last, He points out our true problem – the reason that we are consumed with fear, with worry, with anxiety – we have very little faith in the Lord, in Who He is, in what He can and does do. Being dull to His voice, not paying attention to God’s Word, not walking with Him intimately leads to worry because we quickly forget how great, how bountiful, how powerful, how magnanimous, how beautiful, how glorious, how generous, how loving, how compassionate, how providential the Lord God is!

06/18/2022

What can “worry'' do for you? Is worry something we should be worried about? What do we worry about and why? We’ve been looking at a passage in Matthew 6 where Jesus is addressing worry or anxiety. If Jesus is mentioning it, maybe it’s a bigger problem than we think! Maybe more people suffer from this than we know.
We started by looking at the fact that no one can serve two masters – God and money. They are in opposition to each other. Then Jesus moves on to talk about worry. He commands us not to worry about our lives. What we eat, drink and wear. He gave us an example using birds. Now, He is asking another rhetorical question. “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 BSB What a question! But first, we have to address the two different units of measurement we find in different translations of this verse in Scripture.
The King James Bible says, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?” The American Standard Version says, “And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?” There are several interpretations of this verse, but it comes down to one of two things; can you add to your stature by worrying or can you live longer by worrying? And of course the answer is a resounding NO! Let’s break it down now.
“Who of you…” Among the group hearing this sermon, Jesus is asking a personal question in an interrogative way. He makes this a question we must each ask ourselves. Which one of us? Is there anyone? Where is the person? And we know there is no such person who is able.
“By worrying can…” We’ve explored the concept of the word in the original language used here for worry. The word Jesus used is “merimnao.” It means to be over-anxious, anxious about, distracted, to have divided focus so as to be in parts and it can figuratively mean “to go to pieces,” to fall apart, to be pulled apart, divided, concerned, to be troubled. All that should sound exhausting because worrying is exhausting! And the word “can” here means to be able, to achieve, to make happen, to have the power to do something. By worrying do we have the power to make something happen?
“Add a single…” “Add” is to increase, to give more of something, to reach a goal. And “a single” here is just referring to a number – the number one. A single thing, one piece, one item, just one.
“Hour” is the word that brings us to the different ways of measurement. In the original text, the word Jesus used is “pechus.” This word is interpreted generally to be the forearm or a cubit. This word only occurs four times in the New Testament. The NAS Exhaustive Concordance notes it could be used of hours and yards. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon notes that in this verse it refers to weights and measures and Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance notes, “of uncertain affinity.” Does it matter if we are talking length of days or about our stature (height)? (We short people might decide if there’s a way to add to our height, it’s worth trying!!) But seriously, does it matter if it’s time or length? Can’t they be the same thing?
“To his life…” Here’s where we find the answer as to whether it’s length of time or a measure of height. The word for “life” here is “helikia.” It is usually interpreted as maturity (in years or size) or age. It can also mean stature, maturity, term of life or full age. So I ask, does it matter which it is? Once again, the answer is no. Jesus was making a strong point here.
Spending time worrying cannot gain us one more second of life nor can it make us taller in stature and it does not make us more mature. This rhetorical question Jesus is asking points out the futility in worrying or being anxious. Worrying won’t change anything for the positive, but it can have negative consequences. When you do an internet search on how worry affects your body, you will find that it can interfere with your eating, sleeping, working, relationships and daily habits. WebMD notes, “Many people who worry excessively are so anxiety-ridden that they seek relief in harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, cigarette smoking, or using alcohol or drugs.” There are emotional consequences to worrying just as there are physical, mental and spiritual consequences to worrying.
Why do you think Jesus took the time to speak on worry and anxiety? Did He know we were prone to worry? Yes, He did and He does! Did He know that it would harm our minds, bodies, souls and spirits? Absolutely!
We will continue to explore this passage on worry in the coming weeks. But, since many of us worry when instead we should trust, let’s practice handling our worries starting now! Every time you find yourself starting to worry, would you please pray instead? It doesn’t have to be a fancy prayer. It can sound something like this…Hi God, it’s me again, spending time in my head worried about how I’m going to fill in the blank. (Here I’ll use pay the bills.) Thank You that Your Word tells me not to worry because You already know what I need. So, here I am, asking You to take this burden from my mind, my heart and off my shoulders. Thank You that as owner of all the universe, the One who provides for the birds and all the wild animals, You want to provide for me. Thank You for providing so much for me already! Help me to think about You and Your Word instead of the things that bring me worry. Thank You that You are able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what I could ask or imagine. Please give me sweet sleep tonight as I rest and trust in You for all my needs to be met. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

06/11/2022

Have you noticed the birds singing lately? With the cooler days we have had, sleeping with the windows open can give one a melodious awakening when the birds start singing! Today we’re going to look at our Matthew 6 passage again. “Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns – and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26 BSB Let’s consider this verse in the scope of worrying.
“Look at the birds of the air:” Consider, examine, think about those birds. We see them in trees, flying gracefully across the sky, sitting on electric wires, fence posts and such. We also see them along the roadside or even in the middle of the road waiting for a bite of carrion. Birds seem to hang out in places where they can see what’s going on in the world. We’ve even seen them trying to fly, but the wind is so strong that they almost fly backwards! Many people enjoy the birds so much that they put out bird feeders so they can enjoy watching as they come and eat. Birds come in many sizes and varieties, some colorful and others plain.
“They do not sow or reap or gather into barns…” This is surely a true statement! No bird goes to the seed store and picks out what he wants to plant! The birds don’t pick a crop and put it in a storage place like ants do. Birds do not have a plan for food. They are totally dependent upon their Creator to provide food for them. They do not seem organized in the food process either. We know that birds can be organized. Consider the yearly migration of the geese. They fly in that lopsided V-shape heading either north or south. Yet, when it comes to food, it doesn’t appear they have a plan.
“And yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Yes, it is the Creator, the One who imparts life and is committed to that life that feeds the birds. He is the One who made the cycle of life! He is the One that created the worms and bugs and fruit trees and weeds that the birds eat for food. He is also the One that allows the crops to grow. In each season, He gives the birds their food. No bird ever sits around asking, “Where is the food going to come from?” The birds don’t worry about food! They know their Creator has that covered each and every day. The Lord may use you and I and others to feed the birds. Maybe you’re one that feeds the birds. That’s the Lord working through you to feed them! As I’m writing this, I have birds in my backyard that keep coming to the cat food dish to eat what the cats have left behind. They fly off as soon as a cat appears. They fly in from different directions and grab a bite and fly off again. Other birds are in the yard, pecking at something – maybe a worm or bug. They seem to be content to hunt and find food, then move on. That’s the way God provides for them. Genius, isn’t it?!
“Are you not much more valuable than they?” This is one of the great rhetorical questions in Scripture! Jesus is reminding the crowd here that of course, they are much more valuable than birds! The question here begs a comparison. Which is more valuable, bird life or human life? Human life, of course! But how do we know that? A look back at Genesis is in order here… Creation happened in a certain order because God is a God of order. Genesis 1:11-12 tells us that after God made the earth, separated the waters to create land, sea and sky, He created vegetation: plants that bear seeds and trees that bear fruit. He was preparing to have food available for the rest of creation. On the fifth day, God created sea creatures, and winged birds. God provided fully grown trees with fruit and vegetation enough to feed the birds, before He created the birds. God is a God of order. But wait, there’s more…
Back to showing how we are of more value than the birds… Genesis 1:26 is where the creation story takes a turn. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.’” God created man in His own image, in His own likeness. Adam and Eve were created with a body, a soul and a spirit. Everyone born has a body, a soul and a spirit. That’s part of being created in the image of God! Everything else God had created up to this point was not made in His image or likeness. They were not created to commune with God like people were. They were not created to rule the world, people were. This verse explains that God had a ruling order for His creation. Hence, people are worth more than birds! Genesis 1:31 is the first time, on day 6, when He created Adam and Eve, that He stated it was “very good.” The other days of creation were summed up with God seeing what He creates as “good.” Even when God created animals and livestock and creepy crawly things, the same day He created Adam and Eve, He declared them “good” before He went on to create people. Human beings are created in the image of God, therefore they have the most value of created things.
There is so much more that can be said about the value of people being superior to the value of the rest of creation, but we don’t have that much time! The point of Matthew 6:26 is that the Lord, the Father, the Creator, cares for the birds! He sees that they are fed each day. He is the One who makes the birds migrate with the seasons. He is the One who created the food chain. He is the One that created and sustains life; our lives and the lives of birds! Then Jesus reminds us of our value. We are so much more valuable than birds! We have a loving heavenly Father, who created us in HIs image, who gives us what we need each day. A little caveat here…we see the world trying to put birds and animals on the same value plain as people. People love and care for some of their pets more than they care for and value people. We see commercials aimed at the heartstrings to donate for animal shelters. (I’m not saying that’s a bad thing to give money to, I’m showing how people raise animals to the same level as human life.) There are fines and penalties for killing creatures on the endangered species list! But there are currently no fines or penalties for killing unborn human life, which Jesus pointed out is of more value than the other created things. If the devil can get us to devalue human life, he can get our eyes off the Creator and Sustainer of life!
Today, as we are tempted to worry about inflation – hitting the highest in 40 years, and as we cringe when we see gas prices jump 10 cents at a time, we have to remember that it is the Lord God Almighty, the Creator who supplies our needs. It is time to lean into Him, to depend on Him, to cast our worry, our cares, our burdens at His feet! He alone will sustain us!
Thank You, Lord, that You are strong enough, mighty enough, powerful enough to care about the small and big things in life. Thank You that You already know our needs. Thank You for supplying yesterday’s needs! Thank You for reassuring us that we have value because we are created in Your image! Thank You that we can run to You, in the precious name of Jesus, to ask You to continue to meet our needs. Lord, conform our hearts and minds to Yours! Help us to think like You, to reason like You, to want what You want and to do what You do. To You alone belong glory and honor and praise. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.