Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 20

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:1-34

At first glance, it appears that we are getting a mixed signal in today's reading!  We are supposed to fear God in verse 5 but then in verse 7, Jesus tells us not to fear God and that we are of more value than the sparrows.

It is possible that we will be denied before God which brings about some anxiety.  But then we are told not to worry.

And then we have a teaching which seems to go against the Trinity.  You will be forgiven if you speak a word against the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) but not if you blaspheme the Holy Spirit!  

This makes people want to know, "How do I blaspheme against the Holy Spirit so that I won't do it by accident?"

My answer would then be, "Well, I'm not going to do it as an example to keep you out of trouble!  Then, I would be unforgiven!"

We have a parable that really looks like good ol' American ingenuity.  Does this mean that our pension programs are going against the Bible?

Then we are told not to worry.  We are not to worry about what we eat or wear.  I realize that my treasure is where my heart is.  But what if my heart is sometimes not in the right place?

I think we've actually been living in a very confusing, anxious time.  Do you ever feel like knowing more about the world just adds to the chaos already present in your life?  And how do we give up worry when people are dying?  

I think we need to revisit the opening verses to figure this out.  Nothing is hidden from God.  We are reminded of the story of Adam and Eve.  Do you remember what they did after they disobeyed God?  They hid in the garden.  

Or at least they tried to hide.

If God knows our hearts and our minds, we might as well reveal all to God.  God knows our needs.  God knows our shortcomings as well as our achievements.  This moves us to more generosity with God because we realize that even as God knows all, God continues to work through us.

This realization is a movement to seeing God's love for all God's creatures.  This leads to our own realization of blessing which leads to sharing.  The man with the barns failed to take stock.  In this way, he shows his hypocrisy for failing to acknowledge the blessing which may have been where Jesus was going with the Pharisees in the first place.

Prayer for the day:

God, save me from myself!  Amen.

Photo by ASweeneyPhoto via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.