“Don’t be afraid little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32 CSB
In the verse that follows the one above, Jesus tells us to “Make money bags for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven” (Luke 12:33 CSB). According to The Bindery Blog, the average man keeps his wallet for 7 years. In that period of time, they grow very attached. I know, with my own husband, he takes his wallets very seriously. Yet, inevitably wallets wear out and need to be replaced. Men have even been known to have back problems because they sit crooked on their wallets; they sit unbalanced. But Jesus is talking about a different type of wallet, a spiritual wallet that will never grow old, never wear out, always be available. The money bag Jesus is referring to will never cause us harm, our attachment to it will last forever. We have nothing to fear because we are storing our treasures in a wallet that won’t let us down, the kingdom of heaven.
We are a flock, we are the sheep, God is the Shepherd. He so badly wants us to delight in the riches of heaven, even here on earth. When I think of God’s riches, I think of the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7 NIV). I think of His wisdom and discernment (Psalm 111:10 NIV). I think about His love, His grace (John 3:16 NIV). But when we let our fears control us, we miss out on those riches which we can have right now, today. We become so focused on our fear, we can’t see or hear anything else. In the same way a man gets attached to his wallet, we get attached to our fears. We become comfortable with them, they live with us. We have a pocket we store our fears in and they make us off balance. As tired as we get of caring our fears with us, like a man parting with an old wallet, we don’t want to let them go. We hold onto them for dear life. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we would live our lives in fear, He died on the cross so we could have life, and have it to the fullest (John 10:10 NIV).
What fear are you holding on to today that you need to let go? One just popped into your mind, whatever it is, let it go. Take your fears to God in prayer, tell Him you’re tired of carrying them around. Ask Him to help you let them go, you don’t have to do it alone. Ask Him for His strength, His power, His riches. Change in the money bag of fear for a money bag of eternal riches that you can start enjoying today, right here on earth. Let your fears be replaced by God’s peace, His wisdom, His love, His grace. Today is the day your fears no longer keep you off balance, today is the day you find balance in Jesus. All you have to do is follow the Shepherd, no one cares for His flock like He does.
