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-- FEAR NOT LITTLE FLOCK
Luke 12:22-34 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?
And
which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then
are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider
the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to
you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow
is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little
faith?
"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor
have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek
after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the
kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Having just warned against the foolishness and ultimate futility of greedy material ambition and illustrating the point with the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-28), Jesus once again instructs his disciples to centre their lives on the Kingdom of God -- which does of course require his disciples to deal honestly and fairly, even when it means the foregoing a profit or a business opportunity.
Once again Jesus depicts his disciples as a flock of sheep -- harmless and productive creatures who, according to Darwin's ideas, should have perished from the face of the earth long ago, being totally unfit to survive. Perhaps the implication is that most Christians are equally ill-equipped to deal with the ruthless cut and thrust of the world and close attention of the devil who would like nothing more than to destroy them (Ephesians 6:10-18).
God's power to provide for those who trust in him is clearly illustrated in nature, as Jesus points out. Even today, no man-made garment can compare with the beauty and microscopic complexity of even a lowly flower growing in a field.
As already noted, most people see no need for God in their lives, which is why the true disciples of Jesus have always comprized a little flock rather than mass movement. Their reward however will not be little but very great, because it is God's good pleasure to give them his Kingdom. Do we treasure that calling and let it shape our lives and order our priorities, rather than money and security? All the fame, fortune and pleasure the world or the devil can offer is as nothing by comparison.