PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

The requirement for making a living today is much different from what it was hundreds of years ago. Today the young people must till the ground, sow the seed, and water the crop by studying diligently and graduating from high school and college. But they must not do this because of anxiety. We must differentiate anxiety from duty. Your duty is to finish your work of farming, that is, to graduate from high school and college. Otherwise, it will be difficult to live. To live on this earth for God, you must finish your education. But as you are studying and completing your education, you must be different from the worldly people. The worldly ones study for the sake of their anxiety; you should not study for anxiety, but to fulfill your duty. If you do not see this point, this portion of the Word will simply be a legal matter to you.

Boaz, a forefather of David, is an example of one who did his duty without anxiety. Boaz was a rich farmer; he was very productive. However, this man was not productive for the sake of anxiety, but for the sake of fulfilling his duty. When the time came, the Lord told him to give a certain amount away. and he did it. Certainly Boaz treasured the things in heaven. Through the overcoming of anxiety, he laid up treasures in heaven.

After a number of years, many of our young people will have college degrees. I believe that under the Lord's sovereign blessing, many riches will come in. At that time you will need to remember that you have gone to school not for anxiety, but to do your duty. Therefore, the riches that you bring in should not be used for your anxiety, but for your duty. Your duty is to give, to lay up treasures in heaven.Do not aspire to be a millionaire. Do not endeavor to have a savings account of a million dollars. Rather, learn to give and lay up treasures in heaven. Transfer your treasures from the earth to the heavens. In this way you will not be a millionaire on earth, but a millionaire in the heavens. 

Your duty is to earn your degree and then to make riches. But do not seek to become a millionaire. Instead, be a good giver according to the life and nature of your heavenly Father. This is the meaning of this portion of the Word.

My burden in this message is to dig out this basic point. We all have our duty to do. As we are fulfilling our duty, we should not do anything for the sake of our anxiety, because we have a divine life that knows no anxiety. And we have an almighty and all-inclusive heavenly Father who takes care of us in every way. Today's world is filled with anxiety, but the kingdom people should not be anxious about anything. We are not able to add one cubit to our stature by our anxiety (v. 27). Concerning morality, we have the life and nature of our Father within us to enable us to fulfill the highest moral requirements. Concerning our living we have the heavenly Father Himself to take care of us. However, this does not mean that there is no need for us to do our duty. Although we must fulfill our duty, we should have no anxiety. Like the children of Israel who had enough to live on and who gave certain portions away for various purposes, we also should have a harvest and be willing to give a certain amount away for various purposes. Eventually, all we give will be laid up in the heavenly bank, and all our riches will be there.

This also is related to our daily growth in life. Both sloppiness and anxiety will delay your growth in life. No one who is idle, who does not fulfill his duty, will ever grow in life. Everyone who grows in life is diligent and industrious. Of course, this diligence and industriousness will yield a reward, and some material riches will come to you. All these riches must be used, not for your anxiety, but for your giving.

Anxiety must go. Do not allow anxiety to occupy your daily living. Because the life of the Father within you knows no anxiety, you should not have any anxiety. Any surplus you have should not be used for the sake of your anxiety. Use it to build up savings in the heavenly bank. I assure you that if you do this, you will grow in life. The only kind of person who grows in life is one who is diligent, yet who does not use his surplus for his anxiety. You need to study diligently, make good grades, and acquire the highest degree. However, the riches that come to you should not be used for your anxiety. We labor and fulfill our duty, but we have no anxiety. This is the proper way to grow in the Father's life.

Witness Lee, The Life-Study of Matthew, Message 22, pp. 273-280

APPLICATION

Why is it important for us to know that the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens is composed with the Father's life and nature?

Why are human beings reluctant to give away their material possessions to others?

"The only kind of person who grows in life is one who is diligent, yet who does not use his surplus for his anxiety"; how can we train our children to become such persons?