Luke 12:1-34

Dangers for Disciples

Like a child learns about the dangers of the road in order to save their life, Jesus is teaching His disciples the dangers they will have to face. Dangers that will make them unfruitful.

Fear ?

The fear mentioned here is a fear of other people. A fear of other people leads to hypocrisy - trying to please others who see your life.

If we pretend to be something we are not, or sacrifice our values for approval.

But Jesus says that it will all come out in the end. Eventually our deceptions and egos will be revealed.

Don't fear them - fear Him

The battle against fear is not to be fearful, but to direct our fear to God. A humble fear of the Lord helps us battle the fear of people. Only God's view of us matters. And if we are saved, that view is of immeasurable worth. He cares and loves for you and so there is nothing to fear!

God acknowledges us as those accepted into His kingdom. On the glorious day when we are gathered before the angels God will acknowledge us as His, and that He died and rose for us out of love.

Greed ?

Jesus warns us about this. To be on guard against greed. Having lots of things is not the be all and end all of our lives. To have enough things so that we can stop and take it easy and enjoy life is the core belief of this world. It is burned into the heart of everyone we know.

Yet we need to remember that all those things we covet are not ours. Our life is not our own. It is all given by God, and can be taken away all the same. If we are focussed on the possessions we have then we are blind to God and His will. We are blind to the true riches of God and the treasure that belonging to Him brings.

Worry ?

If we are only focussed on our possessions we are subject to worry about them.

"Do not worry!" says Jesus. If we are focussed on God, and specifically His provision, then all other things need not be worried about. God fulfills our every need as we have faith in Him. What we set our heart upon is what we worry about. Setting our heart on Gad means we only worry about the things He does - and those are not a worry at all! They are things to rejoice about.

We need to daily turn to God and look at His wonder, rather than the distractions of the world. Then those things become things that we can use for His glory. They become tools for us to glorify God.

"You know the grace of the Lord Jesus, for thought He was rich, for your sake He become poor, so you through His poverty might become rich."

Look to Jesus' gracious sacrifice. See how His poverty allowed others to be blessed. Think about how you can model that. Is your heart for the kingdom? Are you ready to forsake the things of the world for God's call and God's glory?