A Trap - Wait, ...What?

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. [Luke 21.34-35] 

Carousing and drunkenness dull the heart. That is an acceptable fact to most people. However, carousing and drunkenness are not the only things that dull the heart; the worries of the this life work to the exact same end.

What are the worries of this life? Of course we all have our opinion about what worries us, but we must recall that Jesus actually addressed the topic exhaustively:

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? [Matthew 6.25]

Food and clothing are the most basic of human needs. If we can see it, "food and clothing" speaks of the collective universal needs of humanity. God has made it quite clear that we are not to worry about these everyday life needs.

So, if "food and clothing" speaks collectively for every human need, then even modern needs like shelter, transportation, protection, health, and technology qualify as everyday life needs as well. Of course, the degree of need is a subject for debate (i.e. you may indeed need shelter, but do you need a 10,000 square foot mansion?).

The thing is, conventional human thought these days is that more is always better. Was this what Jesus was talking about? With this in mind, we must remember that these everyday needs (worries of this life) induce dullness in the human heart.

If the enemy of God and man wanted to dull human hearts, and, the worries of this life accomplish that purpose, then, wouldn't that enemy strategically attack humans with more worries of this life? And, do we think the enemy would moderate his attack to be merciful to us? Or, do we think he would only moderate his attack enough to mask his damning agenda? I think, the latter.

The industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology all accomplish the same thing: they presume to attend to the worries of this life - everyday needs. Why live in a tent you can afford when you can borrow money becoming enslaved to repayment at interest to live in better shelter? Why only possess that which you can afford to replace when you can become enslaved to expensive premiums to live beyond (better than) your means? Why only get over a cold with the aid of God's design in three days of rest, when you are so enslaved to keep working a job to pay for all your stuff that you must take a pill to get better and skip the rest? Why work with tools you can afford when you can have the latest and greatest gadgetry to make your life better?

Debt, insurance, medicine and technology all feed off each other: to have one usually requires having one or all the others. How convenient is that? Does that sound merciful? Or, does it sound like a well-hatched plan to completely dull the heart of humanity enslaving them to the worries of this life? Isn't it interesting that Jesus said, "Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap."?

The worries of this life are a trap. The mechanism is to dull the heart (as it relates to trusting God alone) so that that heart and life can be methodically chained to the pursuit of unsubstantiated and unsustainable promises and claims of "more and better" made by idols. Debt, insurance, medicine and technology have all set themselves up as worries of this life that demand our commitment to them thus dulling our hearts to God.

I hope this makes sense. The problem lies in the interwoven complexity of wanting more but then finding that more comes with all manner of strings attached!

The best solution is to simply trust God for what He says and leave more entirely up to Him. Of course this sounds ridiculous to our modern (dull) minds. But again, wouldn't that be the perfect strategy to cause man to be completely unaware of the times in which he lives - that there is indeed an end to all this life as we know it - and that Jesus is coming back for a perfect and spotless and faithful bride?

Father, my words today seem scattered, but my heart is trying to escape the trap of dullness that has encased it in slavery to my needs. Help me and others to break free from this dullness of heart so that we might please You the only way we can - with undivided faith in You as You have revealed Yourself to us in Jesus Christ! So be it.