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Matthew 6:24-34 : Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

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24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

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?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

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Worrying About the Future

Написано Brian W. Keith

A little boy, hands clasped tightly and eye squinched shut, says his prayers.

Consider the simple faith expressed in this psalm to the Lord. A confidence that evil will be punished and that good will always prevail. The future is bright. There is no need to worry.

We might assume that the author was an idealistic youth - one who has never experienced pain or disappointment. Yet this psalm did not come from any naive child. It was written by a very old man, a man who had known incredible hardships. It is a psalm of David.

Think of David. Although from a shepherd he became king, he also knew hardship. As a youth he had to flee for his life from the jealous Saul. He felt the grief over being responsible for the death of his infant son. Later, as king, he saw his children rape and kill one another. He was forced to flee Jerusalem for his life, because his own son Absalom had rebelled. Then he regained his throne at the cost of his beloved Absalom's life.

David experienced intense pain. Yet he could advise us not to worry about those who do evil. All we need do is trust in the Lord and do good. Indeed, he claims that those who commit their way to the Lord will have everything they need, even if it be but a little in comparison with those who are evil. There is nothing in the future to fear. The good will be rewarded for their efforts.

Comparing this psalm with David's life, we may think that he had an unrealistic view of providence. But consider a similar teaching from the doctrines of the New Church: "When the Lord is present with someone, he leads him, and provides that all things which happen, whether sad or joyful, befall him for good; this is the Divine providence" (Arcana Coelestia 6303). Whatever happens - being promoted or fired, realizing our dreams or having them dashed - all result in good!

A difficult idea to accept - in large part because it seems like the Lord thereby is just manipulating us, causing evil to come into our lives.

But such is not the case. The Lord would never make anything bad happen. And He would prefer that we never suffer any pain. His providence is a gentle leading which causes good things to happen, and tolerates evil things. However He permits us to hurt ourselves and He allows others to cause us pain. Not as punishment, but as the result of free choices by individuals and groups.

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to sensing mercy in His providence is that when we feel pain or worry about serious problems we think that is all there is in life. We cannot see beyond the suffering, the hurt. But while we are occupied with worry, the Lord is already looking ahead - to what can come from the experience, to how He can lead us to grow in spite of the difficulty. For the Lord's view is eternal. He sees hope when we see none. He leads to happiness when we feel hurt.

The apparently random and purposeless events in life are described in the Heavenly Doctrines with pebbles. The Lord allows a person "to go here and there, so that the moments of his life appear like scattered pebbles. But the Lord then sees whether he fills up that space between them; He sees what is lacking and where; and then, continually, what is next in order, after a hundred or a thousand years" (Spiritual Experiences 4692[m]). The Lord's sight and providence encompasses eons of time. He sees all we are, and all we might become. He then gradually provides for it - not immediately, but over the course of an eternal lifetime. Whatever happens, whatever decisions we make, or whatever others do to us - the Lord eventually turns everything to good.

Unfortunately, our view is seldom as long. We cannot see how things will turn out in twenty, much less two thousand years. And when we are suffering our sight is even more limited. So we worry about what will happen. We may try to trust in His guidance, but we are more likely to feel abandoned by the Lord. Whatever He might be doing is both invisible and insensible to us.

In such a frame of mind we might wish we could see the future, be certain of how things will work out. If we were assured of the specific outcome, or knew exactly which path were the best to follow, we could really trust in the Lord - have confidence in Him to lead us.

Yet, in this, as in all other things, the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. He does not hide the workings of providence from us as a test of our trust, or a puzzle for us to sort out. The Divine does not tease us. But the Lord is fully aware that if we were to know the future, or if we received the "right" answers to our specific questions by a voice out of heaven, we would wind up destroying ourselves.

Imagine what we would feel like if someone predicted every last thing that we would experience for the 24 hours. At first we would disbelieve, but what if the predictions started coming true? It would be disturbing, to say the least. And would we not begin to feel restricted, and try to prevent the predictions from coming true?

We value our freedom, our sense of self. We will protect it at all costs. When we are forced to do something, or if we are pressured into one course of action, do we not rebel, wanting to act against that pressure?

Such resistance is not adolescent or infantile reaction to authority. It stems from our inner freedom of thought. For us to be human beings we need to think things out for ourselves and then act in freedom. Whatever choices we make determine the kind of person we become - and whether our choices are good or bad, at least they make us who we choose to be, not who someone else forces us to be.

Yet, when we are confused or suffering, we have a tremendous yearning to see something of the potential the Lord sees for us and those we love. Unfortunately, if we were able to glimpse it, we would probably work against it. A paradox which can be frustrating and lead us to worry about the future.

It would be much better if we could just let go and trust the Lord to make the best of whatever we do. That is what the angels do. They have no memory of past events from their earthly life to trouble them. Nor do they have any desire to know what is to come. For they are content in the present. Imagine if we could be so fully engaged in our present activities, dealing with what we can do rather than what is beyond our power, that we had no time to worry about the future! It is a goal worth striving for.

But for now, we tend to worry. We tend to worry about our jobs, our health, our children, the international situation, our spiritual state. It can on go on and on. Certainly some amount of thoughtful consideration is important. We are meant to make plans for the future - use good judgment to provide for our families. And we can delight in looking forward to continued productivity or happier times. But planning and worrying about what might or might not occur can become excessive.

The Psalms admonish us: "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret - it only causes harm" (37:8). Do not worry, it only causes pain. Thinking too much of the future can lead us to forget that the Lord's providence is silently guiding us. The doctrines of the New Church point out that, "a longing to know the future is innate with most people; but this longing derives its origin from the love of evil" (Divine Providence 179).

Anxiety about the future stems from a lack of confidence that the Lord can lead us to happiness. Since He works invisibly, we can think that we are the only ones who have any direct influence upon what happens. It is a subtle trust in self, and denial that the Lord can be relied upon. Certainly it appears as if we have to do all the work, but it is not the reality. For we could not have created ourselves. We can't even make ourselves happy!

So the Heavenly Doctrines describe the Lord's providence "as when one walks in thick forests, the exit out of which he does not know; but when he finds it, he attributes the discovery to himself, whereas providence meantime is as one who stands in a tower, sees the wanderings of such a person, and leads him without his knowing it to the place of exit" (Spiritual Experiences 4393). The Lord is in the tower, inspiring our thoughts, motivating our actions so that we can be led from darkness into light.

But His guiding can only be effective when we cooperate. We have to search for ways out of the forest. The Lord gave us the ability to think so we would use it. If we sit back and ponder our situation, how hopeless it may seem, little is accomplished. Can we add one cubit to our height by worrying about it? We also need to act. If we stand around and complain about how lost we are, or how unfair life is, it is very difficult for the Lord to lead us anywhere. He will not drag us out of our forests against our wills.

It is as the Psalm said: "Trust in the Lord and do good." Such simple advice, but so true! We cannot alter the past, but we can do something in the present, enabling the Lord to create a happy future.

There will still be times of selfishness where we long to know how things could possibly work out, and there will still be things happening to us which are not pleasant. We cannot control life. But we can avoid being defeated by it. We have been given the knowledge of how the Lord operates to bring about happiness in the long term. We have been given the freedom to act with reason. We have the basis for trusting in Him.

Let us then listen to the Psalm, not worrying about the future, not worrying about what is or what might be. Let us do the good that we can, and leave the rest to the Lord. After all, He should be able to do a much better job than we. Let us commit our ways to the Lord, trusting in Him, and He can give us the heavenly desires of our hearts.

(Ссылки: Arcana Coelestia 6303; Divine Providence 176; Spiritual Experiences 2178, 4393, 4692)

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Apocalypse Explained # 1193

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1193. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints.- That this signifies violence offered by them to every truth and thence to the good of the Word, is evident from the signification of blood, as denoting Divine Truth, and, in the opposite sense, violence offered to it (concerning which see above, n. 329, 476, 748); from the signification of prophets, as denoting those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word, and, in the abstract sense, the truths of doctrine (see above, n. 624, 999); and from the signification of saints, as denoting those who are in Divine truths from the Word, and, in the abstract sense, Divine truths therein (concerning which see above, n. 204, 325, 973); and from the signification of being found in her, as denoting that violence was offered thereto from the doctrine and religion meant by Babylon. It is evident from this, that by the blood of prophets and of saints found in her is signified the violence offered by them to every truth and thence to the good of doctrine from the Word.

[2] Continuation.- Something shall now be said concerning the uses, by means of which men and angels have wisdom. To love uses is the same thing as to love the neighbour, use in the spiritual sense being the neighbour (proximus). This may be seen from the fact that every man loves another, not for his face and person, but for his will and understanding, for he loves him who wills well and understands well, and does not love him who wills well and understands ill, nor him who understands well and wills ill. And because man is loved or not loved from these faculties, it follows that the neighbour is that quality, from which every one is a man, and this is his spiritual nature. Place ten men before you, in order to select one of them to be your colleague in any office or business; will you not first examine them, and select him who comes nearest to your wishes with regard to the use which is to be performed? He therefore would be your neighbour in preference to the rest, and would be the object of your love. Or, again, approach ten maidens, for the purpose of choosing one of them for your wife, would you not first examine the qualities of each, and, if she consented, betroth the one who became the object of your love? She, therefore, would be your neighbour in preference to the rest. Were you to say to yourself, "Every man is my neighbour, and is therefore to be loved without distinction," in this case a devil incarnate might be loved as much as an angel in human form, and a harlot as much as a virgin.

The reason why use is the neighbour is, that every man is valued and loved, not for his will and understanding alone, but for the uses which he performs, or is able to perform, from them. A man of use is therefore a man according to use, and a man not of use is a man who is not really a man; for of the latter it is said that he is not useful for any thing. Although such a one is tolerated in a community in the world, while he lives from his own principle, still after death, when he becomes a spirit, he is cast out into a wilderness.

[3] Man therefore is of the same quality as his use. Uses are, however, manifold; they are, in general, heavenly and infernal. Heavenly uses are those which serve the church, one's country, society, and one's fellow-citizen, and which do this more or less, and more nearly or more remotely for the sake of such objects as ends. Infernal uses, on the contrary, are those which minister only to one's self and to those with whom one is connected; and when they do promote the welfare of the church, of one's country, of society, or of a fellow-citizen, it is not for the sake of these as ends, but for the sake of self as an end. It is nevertheless the duty of every one, from love, though not from self-love, to provide the necessaries and requisites of life for himself and those dependent on him.

[4] When man loves uses in the first place by doing them, and loves the world and himself in the second place, then the former is his spiritual and the latter is his natural [principle]; in this case the spiritual rules, and the natural serves. It is therefore evident what the spiritual, and what the natural are. This is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

"Seek ye first the kingdom of the heavens, and its justice, and all things shall be added unto you" (6:33).

The kingdom of the heavens is the Lord and His church, and justice is spiritual, moral, and civil good; and every good which is done from the love of these is use. The reason why all things shall then be added is that when use is in the first place, then the Lord, from whom all good comes, is in the first place, and rules, imparting whatever conduces to eternal life and happiness; for, as was observed, all things relating to the Divine Providence of the Lord with man regard what is eternal. All the things that shall be added are here spoken of with reference to food and clothing; because food also means every thing internal that nourishes the soul, while clothing means every thing external that clothes it as the body. Every thing internal has reference to love and wisdom, and every thing external to opulence and eminence. From these observations it is now evident, what is meant by loving uses for the sake of uses, and what the uses are from which man derives wisdom - that wisdom from which and according to which, every one has eminence and opulence in heaven.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.