"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
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."
3 Nephi 13:30-33
So, this almost seems like a contradiction. In some places, God is telling us to plan ahead, be committed, save, etc... and then here he is telling us not to worry about any of the details. So, which is it? As always, I think it is both. There is a time to plan ahead and a time to trust God. Specifically when we're talking about committing to the gospel, God tells us that someone wouldn't build a tower unless he planned to finish it. And in the gospel's case, certainly, we need to commit from the beginning. We can't start building and then give up halfway through without having the patience or faith to see that our effort is paying off. In other cases though, perhaps we get too tied up with worrying about where the next meal is coming from, and as long as we are engaged in doing what God asks, and not just expecting him to give us everything, then perhaps we can worry less. God will, indeed, provide. If we have our priorities straight, then he takes care of the things that we can't. Today, let's try to find the balance. Let's commit to God and put him first, and as we dedicate our time and attention to doing God's work, he'll handle the everyday worries.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
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."
3 Nephi 13:30-33
So, this almost seems like a contradiction. In some places, God is telling us to plan ahead, be committed, save, etc... and then here he is telling us not to worry about any of the details. So, which is it? As always, I think it is both. There is a time to plan ahead and a time to trust God. Specifically when we're talking about committing to the gospel, God tells us that someone wouldn't build a tower unless he planned to finish it. And in the gospel's case, certainly, we need to commit from the beginning. We can't start building and then give up halfway through without having the patience or faith to see that our effort is paying off. In other cases though, perhaps we get too tied up with worrying about where the next meal is coming from, and as long as we are engaged in doing what God asks, and not just expecting him to give us everything, then perhaps we can worry less. God will, indeed, provide. If we have our priorities straight, then he takes care of the things that we can't. Today, let's try to find the balance. Let's commit to God and put him first, and as we dedicate our time and attention to doing God's work, he'll handle the everyday worries.
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