Tag: Proverbs 22:7
Divided priorities fail
Scripture reading for January 8: Matthew 6
“”Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. . . .No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”” Matthew 6:19-21, 24
Our world is obsessed with accumulating the ‘treasures’ of this earth. We have basic needs of food, clothing and shelter and should be concerned about those, but our appetites always outpace our basic needs. As I began my life on the farm with a new wife and a degree from a state university, my goal was to become a big farmer and find success. We started out small and began to accumulate land, animals and equipment. Borrowed money was used and debts grew as well. Then the economy took a turn and interest rates skyrocketed. I learned that the borrower becomes a slave of the lender! (Proverbs 22:7) That’s when our Lord revealed to me the truth that I couldn’t serve Him and ‘money’. My heart was tied up in worry about the things and money and not in worship and love for God.
But thanks be to God, He loved me enough to call me to follow Him. He called me to come to Him and learn His ways. He taught me that if I would seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, everything I truly needed would be supplied in my life! (Matthew 6:33) He taught me dependence on Him for my daily bread! (Matthew 6:11)
Where is your ‘treasure’ laid up today? Is your heart divided trying to serve two masters? Have you given all your love and devotion to your true Master Jesus Christ? Are you worried about your daily needs?
Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hollowed by Your Name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Amen! (Matthew 6:9-13)
Our mission to the poor!
Scripture reading for February 25th: Deuteronomy 12-16
In many cultures, the poor and needy are viewed as under the judgment of the gods. These people are despised and live in the worst conditions on the fringes of society. Children born in the families are destined to live in poverty, sickness, and usually have an early death. India has millions living in the caste system and viewed as nearly untouchable by their peers. The Hindu religion and the teaching of reincarnation and the caste system keep the bondage in place.
The God of the Bible, creator of heaven and earth, is compassionate and merciful. When He formed the nation of Israel and delivered them from slavery, He instructed them to care for those society had looked down upon. The orphans and widows were singled out for special care. (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) God promised to bless the Israelites when they cared for them. The alien was also to be cared for, because the Israelites were aliens and strangers in Egypt and could identify with being on the outside of the economic and political power system.
God said that there should be no poor among His people. (Deuteronomy 15:4) If they fully obeyed the Lord in keeping all His commands, God would so bless them that they would have an abundance to help others. They would lend only and not borrow. (Deuteronomy 15:6) God’s heart was and is to prosper His people. (3 John 2) However, some would be poor and need help. God’s people were to be generous, not to be “tight-fisted” or “hard-hearted”, but “open-handed.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-10) God told them it was a sin to be stingy toward the poor brother! Through their generosity they would honor the generous God who had given them everything!
“A generous man will prosper and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25)
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31)
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17)