Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 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.
Matthew 6:27-34
Expect this verse to be used against you when you try to encourage folks at your church that they need to prepare. They’ll ignore Proverbs 22:3, the story of Noah, the story of Joseph, and every other critical example and admonition to prepare in the entire book.
Are they right? Are we sinning by being prepared? Of course not. Today’s verse is talking about worrying. That gives us no excuse to not prepare. You are still responsible to do your best. But once you’ve done your best, trust God with the rest, don’t get antsy about what you weren’t able to purchase for your pantry. But, God doesn’t expect us to sit on our laurels, he expects us to do what we can with what he has given us to provide for ourselves and our families. Otherwise, we might interpret this verse to mean that we don’t need to concern ourselves with getting a job. That won’t work out too well for you unless you’re a Bernie Sanders supporter. Even then, you’ll have to get up off the couch to go cash your food stamps if you expect to find any food in your cupboard. Would your friends classify that as taking thought, saying what shall we eat and what shall we drink?
In fact, it’s not the well prepared who say such things. When disasters come, and they most certainly do, it is those who failed to prepare that ask, what shall we eat and what shall we drink? Not only are they in no position to give to the needy as directed in the rest of the sermon on the mount, they are part of the problem.
Keep in mind that most of these people challenging your faith because of your prepping have home owner’s insurance, health insurance, full coverage auto insurance, 401ks, and IRAs. Not that there is anything wrong with those things, it’s just that their message isn’t consistent. They don’t trust God with their health, home, car, or retirement, but when the stuff hits the fan, they’ll suddenly believe that he’ll send mana from heaven and water from a rock. Yeah, right. You know as well as I do that every nay sayer out there will be beating on your door five minutes after the event; whatever it happens to be.
The bottom line is, be ready to give a defense when you are eventually interrogated about your prepping, but don’t wear yourself out arguing with folks that don’t want to be confused by the facts. After all, you can’t fix stupid.
Come back every Sunday for a new Prepper Bible Study! The most important prep of all is knowing GOD. Jesus said “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his own soul?” Prepper translation: “What good will it do you to survive the coming economic collapse, nuclear war or even a zombie apocalypse if you don’t know you will go to heaven when you die.” A recent study found that 10 out of 10 people die! On that day we will meet our Maker. It only makes sense to be prepared for that day. Click here to learn more about knowing GOD.
Have a blessed day and happy prepping!
Mark