Jesus said not to worry about what we will eat or what we will wear because look at the birds in the field they do not worry about clothes and are you not more valuable than them? Of course, not the exact wording.
My question is If Jesus is telling us not to worry about what we will eat, why are their people without any food?
In both Matthew Chapter 6 and Luke Chapter 12, Jesus says "Take no thought for your life." This comes from the Greek word MERIMNA and it means to occupy the attention of the mind. Jesus said that we only have the capacity to serve one thing. So if my mind is occupied with other things, and I am only supposed to be serving the one person (Christ), I've got a problem!
In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus went on to say, and He mentions three necessities: He says why are you anxious (MERIMNA) about what you eat, or what you drink, or about your clothing? He says that even if we don't have clothes or food or drink, that we are not to be occupied with it.
Jesus gives us two reasons for this when we get to Matthew 6:32. It says "for all these things the Gentiles seek. This would be non-believers. Second reason: It says, "Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." God already knows, so we are not to have our minds occupied with the things God already knows we need.
Jesus then gives instruction in Matthew 6:33. He says "But you seek the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added." Now the reason they will be added is because we can't seek God and seek those things that occupy the attention of our mind (MERIMNA) at the same time. God says you seek me. You seek me and I will take care of everything else. I will supply your needs!
The conclusion is given to us in Matthew 6:34. Jesus says take no thought about tomorrow. Again, take no thought comes from the word MERIMNA (the occupation of the attention of our minds). Jesus says don't even worry about it. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Where is our focus right now? Is our focus on Christ who knows what we need (the necessities of life)? Or, is our mind occupied by worrying about other things, the things God tells us to take no thought of?
Hello Stu, I think Jesus was telling those people hearing Him that we are to trust in God for all things we need and to ask Him for it as He stated in the Lord's prayer "Give us this day our daily bread".
As to why there are so many without food, this is a result of sin in our world. There is enough food produced to feed pretty much all people. But the means to get food to people is not always easy or possible. Some areas of our world have an overabundance of food and other areas do not produce very much food, either due to climate or lack of water to irrigate crops, or other factors. And not all areas have food banks and such were the needy can get some food to get them through the week.
And some people do not have much food because they refuse to work to earn the money to buy it or expend energy to grow it themselves.
It would be hoped that there would be more efforts made to voluntarily supply food to those in need locally and worldwide.
But Jesus also said that life is more important than food (Matt, 6:25), speaking of eternal life. And Paul says in 1Cor. 8:8 that food does not bring us close to God, therefore we are to place food in its proper place in our lives while trusting God to provide and if He does not, we can know that the life He gives us in Jesus is eternal, and this life is temporary.
The food is for the stomach and the stomach for food.
In everything you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Stu, I don't think there is an easy answer to why there are so many who are starving for lack of food. Same can be true why so many people have serious illnesses. People of this world have not yet figured out a way to get food to all peoples who are in need. But we can help out by donating to the locale food bank. Grow some of our own food and donate some of that to others. We can send money to organization that work on alleviating world hunger. Yet, Jesus said that the poor will always be among us. This is not to say we are to be apathetic.
STU good question....But ya gotta realize we are not in a time of light...As Jesus said i am the light of the world but the night comes when no man can work....Remember Isaiah said that darkness was gonna cover the earth and gross darkness the ppl...Just think 6.5 million Jews died in Hitlers death camps....That was not supposed to happen to Israel Gods ppl...But it did....We are in that time of darkness as Jesus said was coming....When no man can work....And there are ppl starving all over the world....The day of the lord will not come till there 1st come a great falling away and that man of sin be revealed....There are Churches on almost every corner but this world is in deep darkness....Satan is now in the pulpits...Its seems God has turned his back on humanity....But he is just waiting to open the book that Jesus has wrote with his own blood as God tells Daniel in 12:9 kjv...Then he will pour out of his spirit on all flesh....As Joel says in 2:28 kjv ok lemme go
My question is If Jesus is telling us not to worry about what we will eat, why are their people without any food?
In both Matthew Chapter 6 and Luke Chapter 12, Jesus says "Take no thought for your life." This comes from the Greek word MERIMNA and it means to occupy the attention of the mind. Jesus said that we only have the capacity to serve one thing. So if my mind is occupied with other things, and I am only supposed to be serving the one person (Christ), I've got a problem!
In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus went on to say, and He mentions three necessities: He says why are you anxious (MERIMNA) about what you eat, or what you drink, or about your clothing? He says that even if we don't have clothes or food or drink, that we are not to be occupied with it.
Jesus gives us two reasons for this when we get to Matthew 6:32. It says "for all these things the Gentiles seek. This would be non-believers. Second reason: It says, "Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." God already knows, so we are not to have our minds occupied with the things God already knows we need.
Jesus then gives instruction in Matthew 6:33. He says "But you seek the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added." Now the reason they will be added is because we can't seek God and seek those things that occupy the attention of our mind (MERIMNA) at the same time. God says you seek me. You seek me and I will take care of everything else. I will supply your needs!
The conclusion is given to us in Matthew 6:34. Jesus says take no thought about tomorrow. Again, take no thought comes from the word MERIMNA (the occupation of the attention of our minds). Jesus says don't even worry about it. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Where is our focus right now? Is our focus on Christ who knows what we need (the necessities of life)? Or, is our mind occupied by worrying about other things, the things God tells us to take no thought of?
As to why there are so many without food, this is a result of sin in our world. There is enough food produced to feed pretty much all people. But the means to get food to people is not always easy or possible. Some areas of our world have an overabundance of food and other areas do not produce very much food, either due to climate or lack of water to irrigate crops, or other factors. And not all areas have food banks and such were the needy can get some food to get them through the week.
And some people do not have much food because they refuse to work to earn the money to buy it or expend energy to grow it themselves.
It would be hoped that there would be more efforts made to voluntarily supply food to those in need locally and worldwide.
But Jesus also said that life is more important than food (Matt, 6:25), speaking of eternal life. And Paul says in 1Cor. 8:8 that food does not bring us close to God, therefore we are to place food in its proper place in our lives while trusting God to provide and if He does not, we can know that the life He gives us in Jesus is eternal, and this life is temporary.
The food is for the stomach and the stomach for food.
In everything you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Stu, I don't think there is an easy answer to why there are so many who are starving for lack of food. Same can be true why so many people have serious illnesses. People of this world have not yet figured out a way to get food to all peoples who are in need. But we can help out by donating to the locale food bank. Grow some of our own food and donate some of that to others. We can send money to organization that work on alleviating world hunger. Yet, Jesus said that the poor will always be among us. This is not to say we are to be apathetic.
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