What crazy times we are living in. I am not afraid. God will take care of us. We are still the church. Even though for a short while we might be unable to meet as we would like to.
I was reflecting on the words of Jesus this morning in Luke 12 and I want to encourage you to use this time of crisis to stockpile faith in God.
In Luke 12:16-20 Jesus tells the parable of a rich man who wanted to store food up for a long time. He thought that by stock piling all this stuff he would be able to live comfortably for many years. Jesus ends the parable by saying that this man is foolish because had no idea that his life we come to and end that very night. Jesus concludes in Luke 12:21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
This parable reminds me of the fear and stockpiling of food and toilet paper and cleaning products that we are seeing all around us these days. People are afraid that we will run out of food or other necessities or be unable to leave the house to get some.
Let me set your mind at ease. We will not run out of food or toilet paper. Even in the worst affected places, like Italy, the stores are still open and people can buy food. If you are unable to get out to buy food or if you run out of money for food, your church family is here for you. Please give us a call at (773) 561-0282, leave a message if no one picks up and we will help you.
Jesus is not against being prepared, or planning for the future, but Jesus is counselling us against the frantic, fear-filled, rushing around which comes out of a lack for faith in God. Jesus says to us it is foolish to lay up treasurer for yourself (canned goods, toilet paper, cleaning supplies) while at the same time being not rich towards God.
How amazing would it be if people had the same kind of passion to stockpile faith in God like people are stockpilling toilet paper? How different would the world be if we stored God’s word in our heart like we store cans goods in our pantries?
Jesus says in Luke 12:29-31 “ 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.”
Jesus is reminding us even in this difficult time to prioritise his Kingdom. Spend more time in prayer talking to God than in sharing the latest bit of bad news with others. Spend more time reading the Word than reading and watching all the scary things on the news. Spend more time worshipping and less time worrying. Continue to be faithful in our giving rather than being fearful with our money. God promises us that He will take care of all our needs according to His riches in glory.
Does that mean we should just keep on living life as if nothing is going on? Should we ignore this situation as ‘fake news’? Should we disregard the advice to keep a safe distance from others? No! We are living in unprecedented times. We need to be prepared. We need to take precautions. We need to keep ourselves safe. However we can do this from a place of rich faith because we are spending more time with God than before rather than from a place of fear like the Pagan world around us.
The good news is while the shelves in stores many be a little empty, heaven is still full of God’s grace and provision. Trust Him. He will bring us through this.
