Have you ever noticed the striking contrast between verses 19 and 22 in Luke 12, so instructive in the everyday life of a child of God?
“Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry,” arising from much goods laid up for many years.
“Take no thought,” nor be of doubtful mind, arising from the assurance of what your Father knoweth, and is!
Two grand motives should act on us as Christians; one, that our Father in heaven takes thought of us; and the other, that our precious Lord is coming from heaven to take us thither. Thus our faith has another horizon than sight and sense, one peculiarity its own; our heart’s treasure the Morning Star; and cherish the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the Lord, whose day it is.
Till then, three things are at work in the inner man: the power of the Spirit whereby we are strengthened with might, loyalty and devotedness in the true confession of Christ Jesus the Lord; and the Father’s love maintained in our hearts by the Spirit of adoption, the true spring of all loving obedience.
While in the world as it is, but of which we form no real part, the only proper use we can now make of it is, to shine as lights therein; and if there be a secondary one, to make it the place of trial of our faith that it may be found “unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:77That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:7)).