God's Word For You is a free Bible Study site committed to bringing you studies firmly grounded in the Bible – the Word of God. Holding a reformed, conservative, evangelical perspective this site affirms that God has provided in Jesus Christ his eternal Son, a way of salvation in which we can live in his presence guilt free, acquitted and at peace.

 
 

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS

THOSE OF LITTLE FAITH

 

They seem impossible commands:

      • Don't be afraid of those who kill the body.
      • Don't worry when you are arrested and have to verbally defend yourselves.
      • Don't worry about where your food and clothing is going to come from.
      • Don't be afraid, when humanly speaking there is every reason to be afraid.

Why?

Why should the disciples of Jesus not be afraid where fear is the obvious, automatic and natural response?

Because his followers are his 'little flock', and he is their Shepherd. Because God is their Father, and it has pleased him to give them 'the kingdom'.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ are members of his eternal kingdom, a kingdom that has a totally different mindset and operates with a totally different value system than that of the world.

Those who belong to the kingdom of Christ know that death is not the end. Those who have acknowledged Christ on earth know that Christ will acknowledge them in the presence of his Father in heaven. Those for whom knowing God is the greatest treasure recognize the insignificance of earthly goods and earthly wealth. Those whom Christ calls 'my friends' know that they are so precious to God that even the hairs on their heads are all numbered.

Those who thus know that God is for them know also that, having trusted him in the bigger, eternal matters, they can trust him also in the smaller, earthly matters; that they can trust him even through and beyond the agony of death. Yes, there will be things that hurt. Yes, there will be things in our lives that generate fear. This trust in God does not mean the absence of problems or the absence of pain. But in that pain, in those problems, trust difuses the panic, trust in God calms us down, because we know that he is for us, because we know that we are loved by him with an incredible love from which nothing can sever us.

God himself is our treasure: all other 'treasures' Jesus Christ commands us to hold loosely.

Scripture: Luke 12:1-34

Copyright Rosemary Bardsley 2004,2009.