The other night a friend shared these few sentences from Oswald Chambers' Christian devotional classic, My Utmost For His Highest:
"The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience."
I find this statement incredibly interesting. But I wonder if most Christians not only disagree, they don't really care about obedience.
In these rather economically challenging days, where does obedience fit in with Jesus' call to truly trust God? Here what the Lord of Lights says:
"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? Look 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"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. If 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? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
I confess that I do indeed run to and fro, planning, worrying, laboring, fretting -- anxious about the very things Jesus assures me the Father will provide. One stop at the gas station is enough to set my heart racing, all for the wrong reasons. But I would love to know anyone who obeys Jesus' teaching here. Who doesn't worry about what tomorrow will or will not bring? Who isn't working, striving, struggling, planning?
It seems self-evident that this is one of the most disobeyed statements in all of Christendom. I absolutely have never known any person to obey this teaching; and if I've ever heard of such a person, that person is usually someone of distant lore, trusting God in some far away land or some remote time. Personally, I cannot imagine a person with children living this way.
I wonder what my readers think.
Peace.
©Bill Gnade 2008/Contratimes. All rights reserved.
6 comments:
I met a woman once, a friends mother, who lived like this and on purpose. she had no home. she often stayed at the home of others. spending time with her one evening at a friends house --where else?-- I realized two things. The first was that she had more courage than I did. The second was that she was dependent not on God as much as on other people who worried about how to pay the bills.
Is this instruction of Jesus obeyed by not worrying about the future physical needs, or by not planning on the future physical needs?
Mike,
Thanks for the comments.
I like the question you ask. What do you think? I am at a loss on this teaching; it seems utterly clear, and yet impossible to obey.
Be well,
BG
Bill,
Since you have tossed the ball back to me --which is fair, I suppose, for I tossed it back to you in the first place-- I offer three observations.
First, the command is "do not worry." Worrying is an internal activity of the mind that can be avoided or added, regardless of whether one works for a living, etc.
Second, the birds and the flowers do not store up in barns, nor do they make clothing. Yet, Jesus doesn't tell us NOT to store up in barns nor not to make clothes. It is the unprovoked provision for these non-human life forms that reflect the kindness of God. If He is kind to non-human life, how much kinder is He towards humans? This is the point. The means for gaining our daily needs is not addressed. In other words, Jesus does not say, "Be like the birds who don't store up food."
Three, a remedy to worry --or at least an antithetical mental activity --is provided. Jesus points out that the value of food and clothes are minimal by comparison to the value of life itself, presumably, spiritual life. So, instead of worrying about physical life, set your mind on the spiritual. Gentiles --by this I think He means those who do not know God, rather than a purely ethnic distinction-- run after things for the body. The Christian is to run after things for the soul. This is the counter to worrying about provision.
I said three, but a fourth observation might help. Paul, in another place, instructs those who steal to "steal no longer" but rather to work with their hands so that they will be able to provide for those in need. He also says that they who are needlessly idle should not be given food without giving effort. So we are expected to work for our own provision. We are also commanded not to worry about it.
There. I've answer MY question. I'm not sure I've touched on yours.
You seemed to be wondering not at the meaning of the text, but as to whether anyone actually obeys the commands within.
To that, I offer my experience. Sometimes I do obey that command. Perhaps most of the time. Am I tempted to worry when fear of lack of provision invades my mind? Or am I actually worrying? Sometimes one, sometimes the other. So, I obey most of the time, I think. But not all of the time.
"Flesh sets itself against the spirit so we would not do what we want."
In regard to obedience and understanding (the Chambers quote) I offer John 7:17:
"If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority." (NEV)
Jesus here says that willing God's will, obedience, is the prerequisite to understanding and knowing, particularly discernment as to the godliness of a teaching.
Hmmm...
Jesus nailed it (Oops, I am worried that didn't sound right). We worry too much. His solution to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness is what we forget in all of our rushing around. No one is immune, that is why we have to come back and repent again and again. The monastics, whose lives are an example of trying to follow the way of Jesus much more faithfully than us, must have rules for their communities to deal with the inevitable strain and concerns of life and interpersonal relations. Other traditions also recognize the fundamental problem you address. In the Tao Te Ching it is written
"Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity."
This is the intersection of religion and psychotherapy. Jesus and the Tao seem to be in general agreement, if only I can get my head to agree with them.
To all three of you,
Thanks so much for the very thoughtful and provocative comments. Wow.
Much to think about.
BG
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