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Matthew 6:26

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Posted by: Frederik

Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

But are there not also birds which get problems in the winter cause there is not enough food available? How does this fit together with what Jesus said?
When I read this then I think if there are birds which starve then how does this fit together with Jesus saying that God feeds them?


Posted by: Christian Commando

Remember how God declares it will rain on the just as well as the unjust?

Second- Everything that has life in this physical world now dies because of the curse. Thus, it might happen that way.

The animal, bird and other creature world is like a replica of man's life and world. Good and bad happens to those God knows it will, but not who we can know for sure.

So, it is not a contradiction, but only more proof, as with all living things, sin entering this world way back has effected all living things, including the earth.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

Okay. But when I read this I do not think of all these things. I only see the "contradiction". And then I ask myself if Jesus promises that God will take care of the birds and now birds are starving then what if God also doesn't care about his people? This is what I think when I read this.
I don't even want to think such things but I simply get these concerns.


Posted by: Christian Commando

Dear friend, ask yourself this-

Where would the world be today, if all creatures continued to live thier expected life spans and none died inadvertantly from other means? The earth would be way over populated by now. The other creatures God chose to be the meat eaters would not be able to consume all the creatures dieing, as carcasses would be strewen all over.

God had to change the order of how things happened, once sin entered, to help control any excessive build of up dead carcasses of so many species getting too overpopulated.

God knew how the balance had to work and instituted such things after man made the ultimate choice what path to follow.

Remember, all creatures were called by God as vegetarians in thier perfected state. That did not change until a necessity to control the above mentioned problem came about once we sinned and brought death by sin into the world.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

I know. It's simply about Jesus saying that God cares for the birds and then we have birds which starve. When you read this you might not be able to understand this, like me.


Posted by: Christian Commando

My boy-

If you can understand God knew there had to be a balance for the numbers of creatures dieing and carcasses left decaying, how is it you can't understand why Jesus still says birds are taken care of?

That presents another problem? a contradiction where God declares He loves and takes care of his Children more than birds, yet so many suffer. right? Wrong...

God still says it will be equally as tough for his children to live with trials and temptations, as it will be for the unsaved. But, unlike the birds, man can make a choice to seek God for help in overcoming such things.

Keep in mind, sin brings disease and all other evil things into this world. thus, whatever lives on this earth, plant, animal, bird, human, fish, all are susceptible to such things. Understand? It's the curse God put on the earth to make it the same as the sinful nature man took on to be compatible.

(As God shows in His Word, perfection cannot exist in the same time and place as imperfection, without the one destroying the other).

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

But I don't understand this.
Imagine you read this passage and then you totally rely on it and assume that you will never ever lack anything and then maybe you get into a situation where you experience lack and then you are totally desillusioned with God and lose faith in the bible and all this only because maybe you interpreted a verse in a wrong way. This is what it's all about!
I have become afraid of relying on verses because of this very reason! What if I misunderstand it and then rely on something and it doesn't happen and then I think that God doesn't care about me or that the bible is not true.
This is a giant problem. I don't know a solution for this. The only solution would be not relying on the bible too much and always keeping the back door open but then again you also won't get anything. This is a vicious circle.


Posted by: Christian Commando

God shows in His Word, to read and learn His Word to show ourselves approved of Him.

What God is saying, yes, He provides a "Concept" we are to believe in by virtue of one or mores Scriptures. but, it is up to us to keep reading, studying and seeking God in realizing He has other supporting Scriptures as "precepts" and "Principles", each set broken down in more detail, that describe each "Concept" much better.

The lack of understanding, comes from not tieing the lower more defined Scriptures to the major ones, to help understand a main point of God. Here are a few guidelines to help you understand God's Word better as you read It-

1- Always take whatever God declares in His Word, for what It means, as literally written.

2- Whenever a word or words are used to describe something in God's Word, it always means the same thing thru out His Word.

3- Pay close attention to words used and how they are used, in order to understand the correct message being declared by God in each Scripture.

4- God has a physical and spiritual meaning for all of His Word, but leave it to God to show this relationship and meaning. Do not try to do it yourself.

5- thus, never ever spiritualize, figuratize or symbolize God's Word, unless God provides this for It Himself.

Sometime soon, I'll share Scriptures of examples to show each Principle of learning, for better understanding.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

But if Jesus says that if you have the right faith then you can move mountains then you cannot take this literally. Or have you ever seen a christian move a real mountain?


Posted by: Christian Commando

You must have true faith in God as God declares, all things are possible in Him. Do you question that and put limitations on God the creator of all things? And don't forget,
God declares, if a prayer or command is inline with His Word, it will then also be in His timing. That could be now, or not till after we die. Thats God's choice by forknowledge of whats best for us.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

But you dont even know wether the prayer you prayed was in line with God or not. This means you're out in the rain not knowing anything.


Posted by: Christian Commando

Thats why my friend, we are commanded to read and learn His Word to understand such things. God declares Himself, He knows best for each of us, thus He has a time and purpose for all things.

If God promises a prayer will be answered if done inline with His teachings to us, they will. But... it will always be in accordance with when He knows the answer will work the best for us.

Plus, God shows many times, where our prayers will be answered and we may miss that, because we think it should be answered this way or that, yet it isn't. Even tho, when He does answer, it works out better for us than we expected, and all because He knew better, not us, when and how it should be answered.

God bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

But how do I know God's will in all the various situations where I pray for something??? For example if I pray for an old sick person. Maybe God doesn't want to heal this person but rather take her home. How am I supposed to know?


Posted by: Christian Commando

My boy, God will tell you if you earnestly seek His Wisdom for it. When my best friend was first attacked by a disease, we prayed for a miraculous healing. It happened. After so long, it struck him again. but, he'd been thru so much by that time, we prayed for God to show us how to pray. He put it on our hearts to pray for letting him go to be with Him- God.

God will guide you if earnestly, not just halfheartedly pray for wisdom in such things.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Wazzup

Mat 6:25 Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Mat 6:26 Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are?

u missed the verse before, the whole point of those verses was to tell u not to worry about anything becuzz God will provide


Posted by: MarkSentMe

This summer, in Sunday school we talked about that verse. A friend of mine, Brandy, had made an observation that when she was outside early in the morning she noticed that every bird had found something to eat. I then made it a point to start to watch the birds during my quiet time at about 5:30 am. It was light out at that time.
What I saw was my whole back yard area full of birds of various breeds. Each bird was foraging for something to eat. Each bird in his own way found food. I watch a little sparrow fly after a moth and catch it and eat it. I watched robins pull worm after worm from the ground. I saw a hawk circling over then dive down. Doves were eating grass seeds. Black birds were eating bugs that were in the grass. God had provided each type of bird with the food specific to his needs. In the winter, I and many of my neighbors, fill bird feeders. The tree out in front of my house has seed pods which the migrating birds eat. We throw stale bread out for the birds.

How does this relate to us?
Again I can tell you a personal story. When my family and I moved from North Carolina to Colorado, we quickly discovered that the cost-of-living was significantly higher in Colorado than North Carolina. My daughter had brought home a flyer from her school offering jobs in the cafeteria. I applied and was hired. Although the pay wasn't all that, I was able to bring home leftover food which helped us to make ends meet. When we were doing better, I was able to share the food I brought home with some of my neighbors who were also struggling financially. God had provided us little birds with the means so as we would not starve. Around Christmastime that year, a cafeteria worker from another school was going through some hard times and the workers held a food drive to help her out. I couldn't do much, only about $5 worth. God had repaid me with a bonus check from work- $200 that year! A friend from work had tipped me to a night job as a janitor which paid very well. Again, God fed His birds.


Posted by: Christian Commando

Frederik- The original point you'd made at the start, was not being able to accept the other Scriptures, but only concentrating on what Jesus said of the birds. Well, thats partly why you have problems understanding God and His Word or getting closer to Him.

You must learn to allow yourself not to concentrate only on one Scripture or selected ones. God shares the whole picture of understanding each "Concept", if we consider all related Scriptures to a "Concept".

What you described here, is exactly one method how God's Word is misinterpreted and false beliefs of It brought about. Understand?

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

The reason why I asked this is because there are also birds which do not get enough food and I asked myself how does this fit together with what Jesus said. Also are there not christians in poor country which lack something? I just don't understand how this fits together. When Jesus says that God provides then actually no christian on this planet should be lacking anything. But this isn't the case and this is what I don't understand.


Posted by: Christian Commando

Ok, lets try this idea then. Since sin entered our world, so did death. But, death can come thru diseases, which also came into the world. God declared weeds, thorns etc would grow, infering other negative things would also develope.

With this understanding, we can realize then, because God says it will be no different for the just as well as the unjust because of sin, both sides, including all living creatures, will be affected by sin.

Why? Because, God declares He has cursed the earth for the man's- Adam's sake.

Does this help?

God Bless!!


Posted by: GODS Grace

Hello Frederik,
How did your doctor visit go?
I'm in a women bible study on overcoming fears and my homework this week is to watch the birds. It can be fun were I live because you have eagles and other large predator birds. We also get tiny hummingbirds.
I imagine that if I had been Adam naming all the creatures this verse would probably shocked me also. I could have never guessed some much larger animals with sharp tooth and claws would become extinct while other tiny seemingly defenseless creatures have continued to exist.(O.k.,I'm being creative and not debating the fall ...teeth and claws in this statement) Imagine using a tiny beak for defense. That boggles my mind without putting God into the equation. Many verses are writtten for the purpose of explaining to us WHO GOD IS. As humans using words to explaining the Holy or like no other "character" of God is limited.

My pastor recently preacher about a man who set out to prove there was no God. He angrily reviled God's name saying if there is a God, then strike me dead. To prove his point he said see there is no God. I'm still alive. Another man spoke out and said that doesn't prove that there is no God. It only proves that even the worst sinner can't exhaust the love and forgiveness of God.

Please, keep us up to date on your health.
Your sis in Christ, Grace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederik
Mat 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

But are there not also birds which get problems in the winter cause there is not enough food available? How does this fit together with what Jesus said?
When I read this then I think if there are birds which starve then how does this fit together with Jesus saying that God feeds them?



Posted by: Frederik

Hi Grace, thanks for asking! My doctor visit is next Monday. I confused the dates, I thought it was this Monday but it's next Monday.I'll keep you updated.

* CC

But what does Adam's curse have to do with this? Christians are no longer under this curse and also when Jesus talked about the birds he also knew about Adam and all this but in spite of this he said it. I don't udnerstand this.
Can you as a christian be confident that you'll never lack anything (food,money,clothes) cause God supplies?


Posted by: Christian Commando

Adam's curse has everything to do with this. consider this my friend-

God declares- sin entered the world by one man and death by sin. Can you honestly say it has nothing to do with us now? Sure it does. One day, like everyone since Adam and Eve, I will die and so will you. It is an inherited part from the very beginning, no one can get around, including the earth.

Do you not still see weeds and thorns growing today? Of course. The curse of inherited sin has never been removed or negated. All living things are born in sin now, just like since Adam and Eve's time.

Don't think it has to do with the rest of living creatures? God declares sin was passed upon all flesh way back after the fall of man. Thus, the curse is still on us and the earth.

God bless!!


Posted by: MarkSentMe

BTW: I have never seen a bird starve to death. God has given birds the gift of flight, so a bird can take itself to where food is and to where safety is.


Posted by: Christian Commando

MarksentMe-

Sorry Sis, but do have to disagree with that particular insight. While you may not have seen birds die as such, I have.

Here where I live, many birds and animals stay thru the winters. Sometimes, if it get too cold too long or we get more than usaul snow falls, documented proof has shown, there were bird and animal death counts seen here from starvation.

I've seen deer populations drop here dramatically over a harsh winter where they couldn't find food. It happened a few years ago. Farmers were enlisted by the DNR to set up special feed stations for them. Now, we have extended license programs to try and bring the over population under control. It's better now, but for a year or so, it was bad.

I've also seen reports of pheasants, grouse and other fowl found dead in considerable numbers from the same environmental situations.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

Does this mean that when Jesus said that God takes care of the birds he did not mean that a bird will never lack food but that he rather meant it metaphorical? But if he meant it metaphorical then what about us? Does this mean just like birds may die of lack christians may also die of a lack?
If this is true then how can you rely on God to supply everthing?


Posted by: Christian Commando

The situation is multifaceted my friend-

A- There are Christians who are decieved. B- those who are ignorant for lack of Truths taught them. C- Those who are rebelious. D- God's "omnicient"- "all knowing" ability for timing and purpose for each one.

Fact is, all of us are lacking somehow with God. There is none who live in perfection before God who will never be in need of something. But, because of our sinful natures we battle against- carnal against the spiritual, we may not always understand why God does not bless us with all promises.

It's a process, as God shows, of maturing from milk drinkers in Christ, to be meat eaters in Him. This is why we see such things.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

But what if you read in the bible that God is our supplier and then totally believe this and then still lack something? Then you'll be pretty disappointed and this is exactly the problem. I don't know when to take the bible literally and when not.
Paul also experienced lack. If you experience lack then how can you be confident that God will take care? What if God allows the lack? Does God want us to not lack anything? Or could it be that God sometimes wants us to lack something?


Posted by: Christian Commando

Frederik- A good part of the time many Christians are lacking, is of thier own knowledge leading them there. Others because satan can petition God to attack us, in which case this usaully means a growth time for learning something from God. And I could go on with more. But enough for now.

Another Principle I mentioned for understanding God's Word better relates to this-

Always take God's Word for what It means as literally written, unless God provides a spiritual understanding for It.

Reading and understanding God's Word this way- line upon line, precept upon precept, leaves us with knowing exactly what God is saying from what It literally says.

God Bless!!


Posted by: Frederik

Can Satan ask God to attack us and then God says yes?
We are perfect through Jesus, then why should God grant such a request?
Isn't Jesus there to kick Satan's butt?


Posted by: Christian Commando

Tell you what- Read the Book of Job, from beginning to end. You'll find two main points there-

1- Satan did come to God and petition to attack Job.

2- Thru this process, by the end of this trial Job went thru of attacks from satan, Job learned something from God.

What was that?

God Bless!!


Posted by: GODS Grace

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frederik
If this is true then how can you rely on God to supply everthing?

Birds:
My husband always tells me that even the birds have to leave their nest to find the food that God provides. So, our faith or action plays a part.


Posted by: Frederik

Yes but this was only there to teach us a lesson, right?
I don't think God allows such things all the time. He protects us. Right?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian Commando
Tell you what- Read the Book of Job, from beginning to end. You'll find two main points there-

1- Satan did come to God and petition to attack Job.

2- Thru this process, by the end of this trial Job went thru of attacks from satan, Job learned something from God.

What was that?

God Bless!!



Posted by: Christian Commando

Yes Frederik. But, keep in mind, God tells us trials and temptations from satan are to help us grow patience. To let patience have her perfect work, that while waiting for God's help, we end up wanting nothing. Understand?

God Bless!!