Saturday, March 19, 2011

March 20, 2011

"Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But not one of them falls to the ground without your Father knowing it. He even counts every hair on your head! So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows."  Matthew 10:29-31



"Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God does not forget even one of them. In fact, he even counts every hair on your head! So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7

Unless you are out for an early morning walk, you probably don't notice the birds very much. When you get engrossed in your daily routine you are preoccupied with far more important issues. Though you drive by scores of robins, cardinals, blue jays, and sparrows without a second thought. In the priorities of your daily agenda birds just don't matter much. Perhaps if you see an eagle soaring high above or a turkey vulture along the side of the roadway it might merit some momentary attention. But face it, birds are not a significant part of your day.

But, Someone DOES notice and Someone cares. Even the small and most insignificant of the birds, the sparrow, warrants the fill attention of God. When the wind blows a sparrows nest from the swaying tree branches carrying the hatchlings to their death, God notices and He cares. Hundreds of sparrows die every day unbeknownst  to you or me, but not to Him. Not a single bird perishes without the Father knowing and caring.

How do you know that? Because Jesus says so! Why should you care what God thinks about sparrows? They are not worth much to us. Way back in Jesus' time two sparrows could be purchased for a penny. So worthless are sparrows that if you laid down two pennies the merchant would throw in a free one - five sparrows for two cents.

If a sparrow had feelings imagine how insignificant it might feel knowing it is valued at half of a cent. Or, think about how that fifth sparrow would feel knowing he was thrown in for free! How insignificant is that?

But that's the point! God cares intimately about the welfare of a worthless little sparrow. Everyone matters to Him! During the course of a busy day when you don't notice He does! As you forget all of them, He notices everyone! They are significant to Him!

Again, why should that matter to you? Here's why - if God cares that much about a sparrow that was thrown into to sweeten the deal, now much more does He care about you? If a freebie sparrow matters to God, how significant are you?

Perhaps you have struggled with feelings of insignificance. Maybe you have been haunted with fears that you don't really matter and your life is a waste. Perhaps you have felt like that  fifth sparrow most of your life. Jesus wants you to know how much you matter to God. That is why He told the story! That is why He said you should not fear!

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,

And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;

Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

 
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,

When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.


Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.








 



March 19, 2011

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  I Peter 2:9

 
Long Summer days in Claypool, Indiana, were spent playing sandlot baseball. We had a vacant lot just west of town that had was surrounded on two sides by a fence. That became our ballpark and if it was a week day it was game day!
 
The fence surrounding the lot was our home run fence and we keep meticulous statistics over the entire Summer - the number of home runs we hit, the number of runs batted in, doubles, triples, and batting average. We were legends in our own minds!
 
After a few Summers when we grew big enough that the fence was too reachable, we all started batting left-handed to put some challenge back into hitting homers. By the time we mastered the left side of the plate, some inconsiderate person bought the lot and built a house on it! Sometimes progress stinks!
 
Game day began about mid-morning as we gathered with gloves and bats and baseballs in tow. The dramatic moment was when we would choose sides. It would be the two biggest, oldest and best players as captains charged with picking among the rest of us also rans to determine the teams. As other guys were picked and I wasn't, my sense of significance suffered. I was never the last guy picked but neither was I the first. Being wired the way I am, the lower I was chosen the more motivated I became to prove I mattered. But that simple childhood act of choosing up sides for sandlot ballgames was a raw and revealing way of exposing who really mattered and who didn't. Your significance in the "pack" was on display! There was no place to hide.
 
God built into you and me a strong need for significance. We want to matter. We need to know our lives make a difference. Therefore, who we chose to determine our sense of significance is a game-changer. In a perfect world, that is one the primary roles of parents to build significance and security into the psyche of their children. When you matter to mon and dad, you don't care as much where you get chosen in the line up.
 
Even more important than the significance given you by your parents is realizing how much you matter to God. Ultimately, your significance will rise or fall on understanding your value to Him. And, there is good news! The Bible says that He chose you first! You are a first-round draft choice in His opinion! You are so significant to Him that He traded His Son's life for yours!
 
Are you struggling with the fear of not mattering? Do you live with the insecurity of feeling insignificant? Have you allowed the wrong people to decide your worth?
 
Get your heart and mind around this - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."  I Peter 2:9


You matter! He says so! Let His opinion matter most to you! Let Him matter more than anyone or anything else and feel the fear of insignificance melt away.