11 July 2019 - accept no substitutes

Today's Readings

(Audio)

Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.

We are called to rely on the LORD. He tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and everything that we need will be provided for us. Food, drink, clothing, and shelter are basic needs. They are a deep source of anxiety for pagans. They are for many Christians as well but they should not be. Our Father knows that we need these things.

If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.

If we are worried and anxious about the same things and to the same degree as the pagans we will be too preoccupied with those things to share our peace with worthy houses. Then we will grip tightly what worldly peace we can find, cling to that, and have nothing distinctive to offer the world.

Circumstances can never yield the peace to which we are called. Good circumstances still yield flimsy peace, always at least a little anxious about the future. We are called to trust in God, knowing that he can make any circumstances, good or bad, work together for his glory.

But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you.

Joseph was able to trust in God despite his circumstances. When the time came, he was able to forgive his brothers who sold him into slavery. His brothers seemed to have one plan. But he knew that God had a higher one.

Let us learn to trust in God more and more. For most of us, our circumstances are fine. We aren't dealing with overwhelming anxiety to the point that it cripples us. In this sense, we are lukewarm. We are putting up with what we consider good enough when there is so much more that the LORD wants for us. Let us no longer put up with the substitutes the world offers for the peace of Christ, that surpasses all understanding.

He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.