God's Eternal Purpose: When We Believe

We've just past the Christmas season and I wonder how many of us have made it through without watching (or at least remembering) the classic "Miracle on 34th Street". While this is a popular (secular) Christmas show, it holds an important message for many of us. Watching the trailer, I can barely make it through without a tear when I watch

the advertisements stating that "Kohl's believes in Santa Claus,"

or scrawled out signs declaring that "Iron Workers Believe",

other myriads of signs in New York windows and streets announcing the same

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiypbCFV7Ao&feature=related).

I wish for a movement where we would so openly declare our belief in Christ as Lord and ruler of all.

I have to admit when I read the following excerpt from "I Sought and I found" by Carlo Carreto, I wish I could be just as bold as this writer.

"Do you believe that everything is part of a plan, a design, an intervention of God in our affairs? I do. And I am convinced that God's love can transform the darkness of a disaster or the irrationality of an earthquake into an event that can influence, or even completely change, our lives... I came upon this passage in Augustine: 'God can permit evil only in so far as he is capable of transforming it into good.'"

I want to be able to hang a door on my sign, declaring "I believe"... not just that I believe in God, but I believe what Carreto wrote... that everything is a part of His eternal purpose and His perfect plan." Just think of how that could change our lives, how that could free us from worry and bring us perfect assurance and peace.

When We Believe in God's Provision

²⁵ “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 than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ 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? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ~Matthew 6:25-27

"Put a little away for a rainy day." We've all probably heard that saying or one similar, and we all have the idea that we should save a little for unexpected emergencies. Brad was on the phone this morning and had it recommended to him that we should put away 6 months worth of expenses in case of emergencies. 6 months worth of expenditures! That sounds like a lot to me, and that's why I won't be giving any financial advice.

But notice that Jesus here is not saying "do not sow, do not reap, do not store away in barns", although I feel He talks against storing up too much in another part of scripture. What Jesus is talking about is worry. When we are too concerned with saving and storing and having enough, we will soon realize that we never have enough. Whatever we spend too much time, energy, or money invested in will consume us if we let it. And when we are consumed by the amount of savings in our pockets, it leads to worry. That money isn't ever secure. But if we are consumed by God, if we believe that His provides for us just like He does for the birds of the air, we have reap assurance instead of worry, we sow in security instead of greed. When we truly believe in God's provision, we are freed from a life of worry. Though we may have more at some times than others, we will be ok.

When We Believe in God's Plan

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ 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—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ~Matthew 6:28-31

Similarly, here we are warned against worry. In fact, Jesus is using some impressive logical arguments (yes, I have just been preparing to teach my Unit 1 Rhetorical Analysis course). Jesus explains that God gives the lilies not just any clothes but beautiful clothes, but He points out that these clothes are "here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire" (v.29). I don't believe this is a "fire and brimstone" message or anything of the sort. Instead, similar to the "moth and rust that destroy" in other portions of the Bible, Jesus who has an infinite viewpoint shows how silly it is to waste our time gathering and worrying about such finite things.

Last night, Brad and I went to his colleagues house to look at a futon we might buy. Though we liked the futon, when we saw their ordeal in selling and getting rid of their stuff for their move, we rethought our purchase. An air mattress is really enough, isn't it? They themselves told us, "When we move, we are not buying any stuff. Toothbrushes, that is it!" Anyone who has moved remembers having similar feelings, I am sure. "How did we get so much stuff?" "Why did we need this?" To top it all, none of this stuff will ever go with us. Now, buying a futon is not an inherently bad thing, in fact it can be good. But when we waste our time worrying about it, we worry about something that is so small in the grand scheme of things. We need to believe that God will take care of our needs now and that these things are only "on loan" for a short while. We are all moving, on the move to our eternal home in heaven. In God's eternal plan, we won't take any of it with us.

When We Believe in God

³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~Matthew 6:32-34

I can almost imagine the context of this sermonette, and for me it might've taken place in many different contexts... at the mall, over the dinner table. But it was certainly in response to people grumbling, worrying, expressing their woes about "needing" certain things. Imagine, Jesus who had come from heaven where we will all spend eternity, and this is what He hears people talking about. He must've been driven crazy by the incessant talk of stuff and money. That must've been part of His warning. He said, "No, no. You've got it all wrong. Right now is such a small part. Why are you worrying about these 'things'?" We should be worshiping God with all of the time we waste on stuff and money.

In fact our incessant worries about finances and things directly counteract our worship of God, which is recognizing He character. Because the character of God is all-knowing, giving, loving, and good, just to name a few. We forget His character when we worry over what we need, and when we forget God's character, we cannot worship Him... praise Him for His good and loving nature. This must be why Jesus also warned that we cannot "love both God and money". It must be one or the other, and I hope we all choose the one with an eternal return.

When we truly believe in who God is, His plan, and His provision in our lives, we leave no place for worry. Wedge worry out of your lives, with an overriding believe. So I ask you now, "Do you believe that everything is part of a plan, a design, an intervention of God in our affairs?"

Hang your sign on your hearts now. "We believe."