Matthew 6:19-3419Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:19‑34); Luke 12:15-3415And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. 22And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:15‑34).
[Please to read these Scriptures, before you read what your brother desires to say on them.]
HERE our blessed God and Father speaks to us His dear children, by His Son, concerning our present creature necessities. For though we are now new creatures in Christ Jesus, and children and heirs of God, yet we are still creatures according to the first creation, and have our creature wants.
With what authority, and love, and wisdom, does our Father here speak to us of these matters. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.” “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.” “Behold the fowls of the air ... Consider the lilies of the field.” “Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.” “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Is it not plain that our heavenly Father would take on Himself the care of our creature necessities, and have us care for His Kingdom and His righteousness? He would have our hearts fixed on the things that are pure, and purifying, and eternal―things suited to our high and holy calling as new creatures, and as His beloved children and heirs.
Oh! how blessed to have my Father’s kingdom, where His children shall shine as the sun, ever before me; and to be seeking to walk now “as in the day” ―as an obedient child―hungering and thirsting after that righteousness which pleases and honors Him. As the blessed First-born said, “I do always those things that please Him!” To have ever in the heart that prayer― “Our Father; who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name: Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!” Then the pilgrim-child will add― “Give us this day our daily bread!” For this very asking our Father for each day’s supply, tells that we really feel the care of these our needs is with Him. And He delights to be inquired of, to do it for us.
How opposite is all this to the anxious, covetous, world around, out of which His grace has brought us. The Gentiles seek after these earthly things. They are the objects for which they live. They are without God! They walk by sparks of their own kindling! To us the word is― “Walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” “But ye have not so learned Christ.”
He tells us to trust our Father with all these matters, to be subject to Him about them―for He knows them all, and will not forget to consider and care for them all, though this will be in His own way; and He calls us into fellowship with Himself in His own purposes and counsels, for His own glory by Christ Jesus our Lord.
How blessed is this, beloved in the Lard! How sweet to know that He who spreads open before us His own kingdom of holiness, and peace, and glory, is watching our pilgrim-needs―He who feeds the fowls, and clothes the lilies of the field!
Let this mind be in us, beloved! Let us press along the line for the prim of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Never let us fall under those searching, melting words, in verse 18 and 19 of Phil. 3―to be wept over as those “who mind earthly things.” Rather let us follow him who could say, “This one thing I do,” (vs. 13,) and, “My God shall supply all your need.”
And He does! He cannot fail. See the lilies. See the birds. See all who trust in Him according to His Word.
But there is divine wisdom, as well as holiness and love, in this plan of our blessed Father’s. He would exercise faith, and weaken sense. He would draw out love, and dry up selfishness. He would increase prayer, and silence murmurings. He would cultivate obedience, and mortify self-will. In a word, He would make us like Jesus, and unlike the Gentiles.
Let us admire and ponder His wisdom who thus gives us a pure, unmingled, ever-blessed object, and takes the mixed and complicated one into His own hands. For how are fleshly-lusts and creature-needs confused and mingled together! Food, drink, clothing, a dwelling, furniture, are needs. But the fallen creature has made all these objects for its lusts. Now none but God can supply the needs and teach us to mortify the lusts, and when we seek our supplies at His hand, and wholly according to His will, we shall find Him so dealing with us as both to supply our necessities and to famish our lusts. And as faith worketh by love, so when He bestows more than our own needs require, we feel that we are stewards of His bounty, and we are “ready to distribute.” Yet in this distribution we shall remember still that needs, not lusts, are to be cared for (2 Cor. 8:20, 2120Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: 21Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. (2 Corinthians 8:20‑21)).
Now, are we willing, beloved, to put these matters into our Father’s hands? Are we willing to learn of Jesus concerning them? To say―not our will, but Thine be done? Or do we wish some indulgence― “a little one,”―in food―in clothing―in our houses; for our children? If so, we cannot have it of our Father, except it be in judgment. For He may give us our lust, that so we may learn that “he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption.”
There is one indeed ever waiting on us to serve, not our needs, but our lusts. There is a shepherd for the flesh―an “idol shepherd” ―who has “the world” as his storehouse! But shall we traffic with him; or be fed at his hand?
Is it not through our natural necessities that that old serpent, the devil, constantly entices us to paths of self-will, and worldly policy? Let but self-will be set at work in the provision for our real wants, and self-will will soon over step that boundary, and be making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof! All the enemy wants is to get self-will into action. Let him only succeed in this and his victory is won. It may be about real, and even pressing needs―and the way to meet them may be so ready, so easy, so close at hand. And if the heart be not upward waiting for the Father’s word―weighing the suggested plan, or step, in His presence-we shall surely be ensnared. “He that believeth shall not make haste.” “They waited not for His counsel.”
See the “Beloved Son” in the wilderness. What was the enemy’s first temptation? Was it not to an independent exercise of His own powers, to provide for His pressing bodily need? But, no! He could hunger, but He could not act without His Father’s word! That word He loved more than His necessary food! He waited only on God! Powers He indeed had―but He would use them only in subjection to His Father! This, beloved, is the excellency of all the excellencies of Jesus. He was obedient! Obedient not unto hunger only, but unto death, even the death of the cross!
Oh! for that Spirit which makes us “of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord!” This is the Spirit of Christ Jesus―the well-beloved Son.
Self-will in the provision for our necessities is then the first snare of our enemy, beloved. Then will follow self-will in the provision for our lusts. And then the tempter spreads the world and its glory before us―a wide field indeed! They only consult to cast us down from our excellency―they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly (Psa. 62. read it throughout). For, is not our excellency to wait only upon God?
Beloved, let us watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation. For our enemy will approach us through very fair and loving instruments. The partner of our bosom, the child of our body, the friend of our youth―the amiable, the moral, the prudent, the wise―may all be used by him. Necessity, duty, advantage, example, the sanction of many a good name, will all be urged, and dark pictures will be drawn of the consequences of refusal. But, “My soul, wait thou only upon God!” “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
Even those who are one with us in Christ may not clearly see the Father’s will, and the Beloved Son’s example in this matter, and may even help the enemy; but let us, in childlike meekness and faith, be subject only to God. “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
And in a day of such lawlessness as this, when men, (and, alas! the Church too!) are gone so far into the way of their own heart, what would more surely mark out a “peculiar people” than this simple subjection to the Lord, and prayerful dependence on Him, in all our pilgrim-needs. We should, then, be content with such things as we have; knowing that He has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. We should be “without carefulness.” We should not be choked with the cares of this life. Casting aside every weight-instead of multiplying them by unbelieving self-will―we should run with patience the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, and, like Him, our hearts would be filled with the joy set before us. The kingdom which cannot be moved―our Father’s kingdom―would be ever before us, and in us; and we should hasten forward to the day of God!
True, our God and Father may exercise our faith and patience. He may keep us waiting for His word, and His supply. And this will give the enemy a time and a place for his acts and his instruments. But His end in this is that patience may have her perfect work―that we may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. That we may wait, and pray, and watch, and fight, and overcome. That we may grow from “little children” to “young men:” those who are strong, and who have the word of God abiding in us, and who have overcome the wicked one (1 John 2).
Oh! to what rich account may these creature-needs be turned, if only we will listen to our Father’s counsel about them; and sit at the feet, and follow the steps of Jesus, whom He has sent to teach us in His ways!
Let us ponder, then, these precious Scriptures, beloved in Christ. Let us pray to our Father that they may do their proper work in our hearts. And to Him shall be the glory, by Christ Jesus, forever and ever. Amen!