In Luke 12 Jesus told the story of the rich man who was caught up in his wealth and in himself. He presumed his future by saying, “I will pull down my barns and build greater … take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Lk. 12:18-19). “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou has provided” (Lk. 12:20)?
Right after that, Jesus told his disciples to take no thought for their life or for their body, what ye shall eat or what ye shall put on; to consider the ravens, how the Lord feeds them; and to consider the lilies, how the Lord clothes them. Instead, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Lk. 12:22-31).
When you don’t seek your own best interest, your own pleasure, or your own ease, but the rest of the world does; it can seem like you are losing out on something real, something secure, and something satisfying. You could ask yourself, “How will I be taken care of? What will be my future?”
To this Jesus tenderly replies, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32). God is pleased to give you His eternal kingdom, and it will never be taken away. Believers have been convinced of this. Missionary Jim Elliot wrote in a journal, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”