How to survive in the “last days”
“Remember this: There are some terrible times coming in the last days. People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others with insults. They will not obey their parents. They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God. They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control.
“They will be cruel and hate what is good. People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that ‘devotion’ change the way they live.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, Easy-to-Read Version) Though “hard to deal with,” “critical times” can nonetheless be ‘dealt with.’–1 Timothy 3:1, New World Translation.
Spiritual ‘Treasures’: The most important treasures are spiritual. (Matthew 6:19, 20) “The Greek word for ‘treasure’ is thesaurus. It is ‘derived from 16th-century New Latin, in turn from Latin thesaurus, which is the latinisation of the Greek (th_sauros), literally ‘treasure store’, generally meaning a collection of things which are of big importance or value (and thus the medieval rank of thesaurer was a synonym for treasurer).” (From Wikipedia as quoted in Modern Matthew: Good News for Today)
“With this in mind, here’s what I have to say to all of you: Stop worrying about what you’re going to eat, or what you’re going to drink, or what clothes you’re going to wear. Doesn’t your life mean more than food in your stomach and a shirt or blouse on your back? Take a good look at the birds. They aren’t farmers, planting crops here and there, waiting for them to grow, and then gathering the fruits of their labor for storage. Even so, your heavenly Father feeds them. Don’t you know that, as human children of God, your value far exceeds that of birds? Which one of you can extend his life by being distressed over food and drink?
“As far as clothes are concerned, why be troubled? Learn a special lesson from the flowers in a garden. They grow to be beautiful in form and color, and have a wonderful scent about them, yet, they didn’t have to work for their pleasing smell and appearance. Now, compare them to King Solomon, who was very rich, and had more clothes than he could wear in a lifetime. Yet, he didn’t nearly have the assortment, collection, and selection of clothes that flowers have. Now if God, that master Tailor in the heavens, can supply tailor-made clothes to vegetation that’s in the field one day and the oven the next, surely he can take care of the clothing needs of you who possess just a little faith, don’t you think?”–Matthew 6:25-30, Carr’s Christian Translation.
“Learn a special lesson”: “The single Greek word for this clause (quoted above at Matthew 6:28, CCT) is katamanthanó, and this is the only place it is found in Scripture. It literally means ‘to learn thoroughly’ …or, ‘Learn accurately’…. Interestingly, katamanthanó …seems to place the emphasis on the process of learning, whereas another Greek word, epiginóskó –translated “accurate knowledge” in certain texts of the New World Translation–emphasizes the quality of the information taken in.”–Modern Matthew: Good News for Today.
Conclusion: “So, don’t ever stress out and worry yourself with questions like: ‘Oh my God! What are we going to eat?’ or, ‘Oh Lord! What are we going to drink?’ or, ‘Jesus Christ! What are we going to wear?’ These very things are what ungodly people live and die for. Just be aware of this one fact: Your heavenly Father already knows you need all these things, so don’t worry!
“The first thing all of you should pursue is the interest of God’s kingdom and all its associated righteousness. You do this, and the aforementioned necessities of life will be supplied by God himself. It bears repeating: Don’t ever be overly concerned about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have its own set of troubles. Since every day has its share of difficulties, why try to capture tomorrow’s when you already have today’s to contend with? Leave the next day’s challenges where they are.”–Matthew 6:31-34, Carr’s Christian Translation.
Peace and blessings to all. Amen.
