Matthew 6:26 (NKJV) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
“Do you have enough finances to retire comfortably?”, or “Do you need more money for retirement in view of the current rate of inflation?”. These are questions that you may have asked yourself or others have asked you, and suddenly, you may be concerned and worried that your savings might not be able to provide the kind of lifestyle that you want after retirement. Maybe, you are concerned because of the bear market and all your investments are underperforming or have even lost much of their value. The property, technology, and educational sectors have all suffered recently, and many people are caught off guard by the poor performance in their basket of investments, and you are in a state of concern. Instead of worrying, however, perhaps we need to adjust, live simply and manage our expectations in this current state of global environment and brace ourselves for this prolonged perfect storm. We should be thankful that we were well provided for during the good years.
The physiological need is the most basic need as reflected in the opening passage, and God will meet the need. However, God may not answer our prayers based on what we want, but what we need. Also, the problem with some of us is that we are reluctant to do jobs that we deem as too menial because of our pride. In fact, it is alright to take any job if we are hard pressed between the rock and a hard place as long as it is an honest income, because it is still God’s provision.
Many of us have built our identity around our job, the position that we hold and the MNC that we work for. We tell ourselves that’s who we are and where our identity is. The thing is these jobs and positions might not be available forever especially when the economic environment changes. If there is a job that is out of the way, and it is a local company with a smaller pay package, should we give up the offer even when it might be a way of God to provide for us, though it might hurt our ego? Of course not! Sometimes, God allows such a situation to come into our lives to mould our character, and help us change our identity and priorities in life.
There is a very therapeutic activity to ease our anxieties about tomorrow, which is to take a walk in the park and reflect on what Jesus said in this passage. Look at the sparrows, the lilies, the ants, and all the creatures that God has created! If God has been providing for all of them from the time of creation till now, how much more will God look after our needs when we are on earth? God expresses His perfect love through His actions.
Sermon Series: Having Trouble
漫长的完美风暴
马太福音6:26你们看那天上的飞鸟，也不种，也不收，也不积蓄在仓里，你们的天父尚且养活它。你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗？
“你有足够的资金来舒适地退休吗？”，或 “鉴于当前的通货膨胀，你需要更多的退休金吗？”。这些问题你可能问过自己或别人问过你， 突然，你可能会担心所拥有的储蓄可能无法提供你退休后想要的生活方式。 也许，你担心熊市，你所有的投资都表现不佳，甚至损失了大部分价值。房地产、高科技和教育行业最近都遭受了损失，许多人对自己一篮子投资的糟糕表现猝不及防，你正处于一种担忧的状态。然而，与其担心，也许我们需要调整，简单地生活，在当前的全球环境状态下管理我们的期望，为这场漫长的完美风暴做好准备。 我们应该感谢在丰年里所得的丰足供应。
生理需要是文章中反映的最基本的需要。 上帝会满足这样的需要。上帝可能不会根据我们想要的，而是根据我们需要的来回应我们的祷告。另外，我们当中一些人的问题是，我们不愿意做认为太卑微的工作，因为我们的骄傲。事实上，如果我们处于艰难的境地，接受任何工作都是可以的，只要是一份诚实的收入，因为它仍然是上帝的供应。
我们中的许多人都是根据我们的工作，我们的职位和我们为之工作的跨国公司来建立自己的身份。我们告诉自己，这就是我们，是我们的身份。问题是这些工作和职位可能不会永远存在，尤其是当经济环境发生变化时！如果有一份偏远的工作，而且是一家本地的公司，薪水也比较低，尽管它可能会伤害我们的自尊心，我们是否会放弃这个机会呢？即使它可能是上帝供应我们的一种方式，当然不是！有时，上帝允许这种情况进入我们的生活来塑造我们的性格，帮助我们改变我们的身份认同和生活中的优先事项。
有一些非常有治愈作用的活动可以缓解我们对明天的焦虑，就是在公园里散步，反思耶稣在这段经文中所说的话。 看看麻雀、百合花、蚂蚁和上帝创造的所有生物。 如果从创世到现在，上帝一直在供应他们，那么我们在地上的生活，上帝岂不会更关注我们的需求吗？上帝透过这些行动表达祂完美的爱。
讲章系列：你是不是正在经历挑战
Image Source：pixabay.com