And give us this day …

One contributor to feelings of inadequacy in life for Christians comes from misleading messages some church leaders teach about what we should pursue in life.

There’s a sharp contradiction between seeking the abundance many preachers say we should pursue, and the adequacy for the day Jesus taught us to pray for:

“Give us today the food we need,” is what Jesus taught us to pursue from God in Matthew 6:11.

Jesus didn’t teach us to pray for such abundance that we can store up resources for an unpromised future, thus relying on our storehouse rather than our God. Instead, He taught us to pray for God to provide us with what is adequate for today.

We love to talk about living in the moment, but our actions are often opposite of that idea. We wring our hands and worry about the future, long before it ever gets here. That’s not to say there isn’t wisdom in doing our part to plan and prepare for a potential tomorrow. But our trust too often falls on what we’ve stored up rather than God’s provision for us.

The result? We feel poor when our bank account provides only for what is adequate for today, rather than being a full storehouse where we can dream of what we will spend and buy tomorrow.

For millions around the world, to end the day with adequate enough food for that day is to have a blessed day. How many Christians are content with that? How many have forgotten just how immensely blessed they are to have so much more than enough food for the day?

What is your measure of adequate? When do you reach contentment? What do you pray for?

Scotty