Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:32-34
“Lord Jesus Christ, we are so thankful that you have said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” We are thankful for the ease with which you walked upon this earth, the generosity and kindness you showed to people, the devotion with which you cared for those who were out of the way and in trouble, the extent to which you even loved your enemies and laid down your life for them. We are so thankful to believe that this is a life for us, a life without lack, a life of sufficiency. It’s so clear in you, the sufficiency of your Father and the fullness of life that was poured through you, and we’re so thankful that you have promised that same love, that same life, that same joy, that same power for us. Lord, slip up on us today. Get past our defenses, our worries, our concerns. Gently open our souls and speak your Word into them. We believe you want to do it, and we wait for you to do it now. In your name, Amen”
Dallas Willard (1935-2013) “Opening Prayer” in Life Without Lack: Living in the Fullness of Psalm 23 (Nashville: Willard Family Trust, 2018) xiii.
As “Abundant” is the theme of the upcoming CMA conference in Brisbane, Australia, where I am slated to give the opening keynote, I am reading and meditating on how this idea must shape our thinking so that our living, giving, serving, and loving reflects God’s design for us. Few Psalms capture it this idea like Psalm 23. Read it afresh today.
Our son, Sammy, and his GSP puppy, Hope St. Teresa, moved into a one-bedroom apartment today. My role, along with staying awake to flip my body clock back, was to help him move and to take multiple walks with Hope on the Bear Creek Trail behind his apartment (pictured above). My prayer after a rigorous India trip was simple: “Lord, please restore my soul!”
Prayers like this help our souls find restoration with regard to money too. It is the fearful holding on to money that leads many to miss the abundant life God desires for us. God’s given us His reign. We must stop trying to reign ourselves so our hearts unite with His. Only in letting go of wealth do we grasp life without fear and get money bags that don’t grow old.
Do you believe this? The world does not believe it. Those who do show their faith by their actions. Have you done it? Many who profess faith in Jesus are not willing to not do what He says. Obedience requires faith in the sufficiency of Christ and the reign of His kingdom. We have found the only way to figure it out is to live it out.
Lord, slip up on us today. Get past our defenses. Stir us to store everything in heaven through generous sharing. Remind us that You are enough for us, for only in You do we find life without lack!