More Need Than Needed

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear and champion faith in God. It emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's provision and being generous towards others. The transcript also discusses the idea of love as the language of heaven and encourages seeking the kingdom of God. It highlights the need for reliance on God as our shepherd and the promise of a kingdom beyond earthly possessions. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of His word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to His perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Luke 12.32 Don't be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Our Father likes to give. It makes Him happy. He doesn't like lack. The Lord is a God of abundance. Psalm 36a Though we can move from under His outpouring. Deuteronomy 28.47 But blessing isn't greed, and love of stuff is a negative thing. Life is more than what we eat and what we wear. Luke 12.23 Blessing is a meeting of need. With such abundance, you help other people and not feel any lack. Now the Lord made us. He knew what we would need to carry out His purposes, the assignments and the anointings that He has placed on us. He put all of that into the earth so that she could vomit it out onto us. We need fear, no lack. Anything we physically need is provided by the earth that the Lord God made. That was the reason He made the earth. Because of the curse, we had to toil to get it. Then Jesus came. He shed His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and broke the altar of toiling and sweating for sustenance. Luke 22.41-44 We still have to work, but it isn't toil. Work is mental and physical effort for a desired result. Toil is working hard incessantly. More than all this, the Lord has also promised to rebuke the devourer for our sake so that the fruit of our ground shall not be destroyed, nor the vine of our ground. That's Malachi 3.11-12 That, of course, is tied to our generosity of spirit. Whether we tithe or not, if we're hoarders and hold on to our money, the Lord cannot rebuke the devourer for our sake. But if we're tithers, givers to the Lord of what we have because we are blessed, He will rebuke the devourer. Our work will produce, and that produce will not wither or be destroyed. Not just our physical produce, but ourselves as well. We will be called blessed, for we will be a delightful land. That means that we will be so highly pleasing in ourselves and in what is around us that others will comment on it. I like that idea. And central to that idea is that we honor the Lord. Part of honoring the Lord, as I said, is giving our tithe. That's our first fruits in whatever form they take, but generally monetary because that's the system we live in. And also our offerings, which is what we are led to give. Giving of them based on what we feel right about. Giving in the fullness of joy and thanksgiving. God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9, 6-8 And he would rather have 2% given with an open heart than 10 or 40 or 90% given grudgingly or out of any obligation. If you're giving out of fear, don't bother doing it. It's wrong. Go and give joyfully and prayerfully. There is a blessing on our tithes and offerings that cannot be denied. In fact, Jesus promises that the blessings of the Lord will cover our needs and then some. In this chapter of Luke, he talks about the possessions that the world chases after. Verses 29-30 And that our Father in heaven knows we need them. Shelter, clothing, food, protection from the elements. We need these things. But what is a need? Well, a need is clothes. A need is not designer gowns. A need is food. A need is not a five-star gourmet meal. Now, God made us. He knows how our bodies work. He knows what we need. We're told to listen diligently to the Lord. Eat what is good. And that we will have richness. And we'll delight in that richness. Isaiah 55-2 Jesus teaches this same principle. Jesus exhorts us to seek the kingdom of God. And then tells us that our needs will be added to us. Verse 31 They will be met. And the first half of verse 33 tells us how they will be met. Sell what you have and give gifts to the needy. That is a lot of need meeting. If we can sell things and give gifts while not feeling lack. I like that too. Now, why did he say to sell them? Or to be prepared to sell them if God asks you to? Well, there's a lot of answers. But I think the strongest one is that Jesus is telling us not to be attached to things. Love of things, covetousness, is idolatry. Now, it doesn't matter if you're loving a possession. Or if you're loving the idea of having money for security. It's still idolatry. Desire not the things of this world, right? Romans 8 5, 1 Corinthians 7 32 What should we desire instead? To give to others. To care for the widows and the fatherless. To love one another. To disciple people and care for the humans around us. To spread our blessings and to care with humility and hospitality. All we come across. No, that isn't easy for the human mind. But it's second nature to Jesus. Maybe even first nature. And we're called to walk like him. We're called to do these works of love. Because that's what love does. It nurtures and it cares. Now, if you look at the world around us. And all of the problems. And all of the ways that they can be fixed. There's always this gap of what if. So, how do we fix the what if? Take the abortion issue. So, if you ban it. What about those people who get pregnant? What are they going to do? They can't do it. They can't finish their education. Their job is derailed. Their this, their that. But what if the church was there to love them. And to help them. To bless them. To nurture them. To get them through. Oh, well the retirement system is this and that. And social security is going to crash. But what if the church was there to help them. To bless them. To care for them. It goes through each and every strata of society. Whenever we come up with these problems with what if. And how will they live. And how will this happen. Well, maybe the church can be there. To love them. And nurture them. And care for them. That's what love does. It nurtures and it cares. Now knowing that the human mind is focused on value. And rewards and earnings. Jesus assures us with something. He also tells us that these works of love. Do earn us things. Not worldly things. I have nothing against worldly earnings. You know. You work. You get paid. Do things. Get things. That's fine. It's the earthly system. But you can't let it get your hooks into you. But Jesus is not talking about that. Love. True love. Doesn't do things to earn a worldly reward. But they do earn us a reward. Kingdom things. Purses which don't grow old. A treasure in the heavens that doesn't fail. Where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. That's the second half of verse 33. Toils of love are treasures to be hoarded in heaven. With humility. Jesus was humble. He always pointed to his Father. He never took credit for anything. We should do the same. It's the Father's will that we love one another. Care for one another. And model his love. We're all supposed to be in Jesus. Because in Jesus, by Jesus, things get done. Which means anything you can do, the believer standing next to you can do. Because in Jesus, it's Jesus who does the thing. So we're to model that. His love. Unselfish. Pure. No strings attached. Love. And the benefit of such kingdom treasure is in verse 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Love is the language of heaven. Strife is the language of hell. There's no middle ground. You're serving one or you're serving the other. These are facts. This is truth. Choose love. Toil for the kingdom. And do it without fear, anxiety, worry, or any other negative emotion. Seek the kingdom. Walk in Jesus' way. And all these other things will be added to you. You will not feel lack. The earth will give up her treasures. The earth was created by God for us to provide our need. God takes care of everything the earth can't, in God's service, provide. We benefit from it when we seek the will of God, bow before the throne in worship, and seek to operate in His love through Christ Jesus. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. This is a process of sanctification, of learning, of operating in love. And because of that operating in love, all these things roll our way. It's a process. But through that process, He is our good shepherd. John 10, 11-18. Now, if He's our shepherd, we're sheep. Sheep don't have horns. They have no external system of defense. They're entirely reliant on the guidance and protection of the shepherd. When the shepherd isn't there, they're vulnerable to predators and the elements. It is a dangerous thing to travel this world with your mind and brain leading the way. They are good tools and powerful and totally, absolutely inadequate. We need the good shepherd. Not the shepherd who presents themselves to us. Not the shepherd we find that sounds pretty good. We need the good shepherd. Nothing else is protection. Nothing else is wisdom. And without those, this cold world will hurt us. But we are His flock. We are His children. And He seeks to give us a kingdom. Not a pastor. Not enough to get by. A kingdom. Because God is a spirit being. The kingdom promise of the Lord does not mean physical wealth and holdings. It doesn't mean He won't give us earthly treasures. But it does mean that there is a spirit kingdom aspect to this that cannot be ignored. We are told more than once about our treasures in heaven. When we keep our eyes on this world, we lose focus on what is real. The spirit world is real. Heaven is real. Our true rewards will meet us when we stand at the judgment seat of reward. 2 Corinthians 5.10 To receive them for our real, actual, lasting, Jesus-based works. Matthew 16.27 And woe to those who have none. 1 Corinthians 3.10-15 We are physical in our habitation, but we are spiritual beings. And we cannot forget that. He never does. God cares for the animal kingdom. The Father will care for His precious human creation much more. Verse 24 Physically and spiritually. He wants us blessed. He wants us to be the conduit where He can bless those who aren't yet following Him as well as those fellow believers who we walk together with. Let God deliver your need in such truckloads that you'll have problems finding people to share it with. That is the earthly treasure of the kingdom. And the obedience in blessing those around us, in tithing on the abundance that is coming into our lives, into giving the offering that we're led to give, that will all build up the eternal, heavenly treasure of the kingdom. This is the kind of need-filling that our Father enjoys. The Lord God is merciful, mighty, and abundant in His blessing. Receive it and spread it around today. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Malachi 4. The time is coming when those who do not honor the Lord will stand judgment. They will not receive reward but will weep because everything they thought they had will be burnt up like chaff. Nothing that isn't founded on and built in Jesus will last. Nothing but the true works of Jesus will have value. But those who honor the Lord will enjoy healing and blessing. We will be vindicated by He who vindicates all His children. We belong to Yahweh of armies. Never forget who you serve. A God of love and victory. A God of righteousness and wonder. A God of mercy and grace. A God who can achieve and has achieved. A living God who speaks to us. A living God who calls us and equips us to succeed in what we're called to. Who enables us to work in Jesus, build in Jesus, and labor in Jesus so that each and everything we do has lasting value and eternal reward. God loves you more than you can fathom. He wants good things for His flock here and eternally. His word shows us again and again the lengths He goes for those who are in His kingdom. The generosity, kindness, blessing, and joy that He showers on His children. Amen. As we close, remember that you have birth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent His only-born Son into the world, that we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.