"The Good Life" - Week 25

Week 25 - Matthew 6:25-34

"Do not worry..."

Don't worry?

I might have been wrong. Maybe loving enemies isn't the hardest thing to live out in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus seems a bit impractical in this command.

We have an odd way to think about our things.

Sorry, my words already betrayed reality. "My" isn't an adjective I can give to the things in "my" possession. Scripture teaches that we are not owners. You don't own anything. You are merely a steward...a manager.

But it's amazing how many times I use "my" as the adjective to describe the things I steward.
-my job
-my car
-my house
-my wife
-my kids
-my computer
-my body
-my _______

And when we use the adjective "my" that often, we commit ourselves to worry.

When you don't own a car, you have no car to worry about. You might worry about transportation, but you won't have to worry about insurance to protect your car.

When you don't own anything, you aren't committed to worry.

Jesus isn't suggesting that we go without things. Jesus is suggesting that we consider ourselves as stewards instead.

What would it look like to replace ownership with shared resources in a community? The restoration vision looked like Acts 2, a community that considered themselves to share everything and own nothing. We would do well to follow their example.

As you dwell in Matthew 6:25-34, here are a few questions to consider and comment on:

1) What is it that worries you most? How does ownership relate to that worry?

2) Does it make you worry any less to know that God takes care of the birds of the air and flowers of the field? Why or why not?

3) What is the difference between an owner and a steward/manager? How does that change our understanding of generosity?

4) The Acts 2 community understood and valued shared resources over ownership. How might the 21st century church seek to bless its members and community with shared resources?

5) What are some ways that Christians (those committed to putting the kingdom on display) might seek to implement this passage in 2012?