Consider the lilly

Solomon in all his glory was

Not arrayed like one of these

Matt 6:29b

It is interesting to see how our Lord brings out wonderful pictures from nature and observations to draw out lessons to those who would listen. One of them is found in the innocuous Lilly a flower of great beauty but with a sense of profound simplicity. Here we find the astonishing revelation that the Lilly is arrayed with more glory than that of Solomon.

Solomon was of course the very one who had built the temple from plans and preparations given by his father David, was endowed with God given wisdom second only to Jesus, had a vast wealth and a healthy empire, yet a seemingly insignificant flower amongst an arrangement found perhaps in his royal courts was adorned with more glory!

The Lord tells us that the lilly neither toils nor spins, o how that is very different to human nature. We toil over the trivial and overwork exhaust and fatigue ourselves to acquire more yet the lilly does none of these things. Notice how easy we get in a ‘tizzy’ and make our heads spin by the endless spiral of worry associated with modern living and again this noble flower does not ever fluster.

The Lord said of the Lilly that it did not spin; it was fixed firm and dependant only on the provision of the creator. How often when we have a problem do we look all around us to friends, family, doctors were we spin amongst the axioms of human thought on our problems. Here is a novel idea stand fast and rather than spin look upward!

To be like a lilly some may say. How are we to achieve this state of mind? The answer is never to far when the Lord gives us a picture, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.