There will not be the regular blog post this week as I have been super busy with ministry. However, I came across a particular Proverb that I had never caught by eye before. I think this is the best way to consider our circumstances and what we pray for. It is Proverbs 30:7-9:
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."
I have seen and found this to be true. When we have enough and do not need anything, our human tendency is to grow slack in our praying to God. When we are in need, that is when we call upon God the most. This prophet Agur, son of Jakeh, was teaching his people and his students.
We should keep in touch with God, in a daily relationship with Him, through prayer. When we pray we praise Him, thank Him, and ask for what we need. As we do this, we become grateful and content. If we do not keep in touch with God daily, we become discontent and want more or grumble that we don't have enough. The prayer should be, as Agur said, "give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread." It takes a wise person to recognize this about human inclinations and instruct that our prayers and requests to God be only what we need knowing that we are greedy and inclined to take the glory instead of giving it to God.
Take this thought with you today and through the week as you prepare for Easter. God did not provide just a sacrifice to cover us for our daily sin, like the rams and bulls of the Old Testament. He provided more abundantly that we could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) by providing His one and only Son, Jesus, as the ultimate once-and-for-all sacrifice for all our sins for everyone in the world for all time. God loves us that much that He would give the ultimate for us. Since that is the case, God will definitely provide for our daily needs. Consider the Israelites in the wilderness; God gave them manna for each day. When they tried to hoard it, it went rancid. When we try hoard money to provide our needs, we become spoiled, too. We set ourselves up to be like God providing for our own needs. We turn away from His as our ultimate provider.
We are allowed to choose. Will we choose Yahweh God to follow and trust Him to provide for us or will we choose to rely upon ourselves and lock God out of our lives? It is our choice. What do you choose?
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."
I have seen and found this to be true. When we have enough and do not need anything, our human tendency is to grow slack in our praying to God. When we are in need, that is when we call upon God the most. This prophet Agur, son of Jakeh, was teaching his people and his students.
We should keep in touch with God, in a daily relationship with Him, through prayer. When we pray we praise Him, thank Him, and ask for what we need. As we do this, we become grateful and content. If we do not keep in touch with God daily, we become discontent and want more or grumble that we don't have enough. The prayer should be, as Agur said, "give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread." It takes a wise person to recognize this about human inclinations and instruct that our prayers and requests to God be only what we need knowing that we are greedy and inclined to take the glory instead of giving it to God.
Take this thought with you today and through the week as you prepare for Easter. God did not provide just a sacrifice to cover us for our daily sin, like the rams and bulls of the Old Testament. He provided more abundantly that we could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) by providing His one and only Son, Jesus, as the ultimate once-and-for-all sacrifice for all our sins for everyone in the world for all time. God loves us that much that He would give the ultimate for us. Since that is the case, God will definitely provide for our daily needs. Consider the Israelites in the wilderness; God gave them manna for each day. When they tried to hoard it, it went rancid. When we try hoard money to provide our needs, we become spoiled, too. We set ourselves up to be like God providing for our own needs. We turn away from His as our ultimate provider.
We are allowed to choose. Will we choose Yahweh God to follow and trust Him to provide for us or will we choose to rely upon ourselves and lock God out of our lives? It is our choice. What do you choose?
