“God wants to bless people who want to bless people.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 25, 2022
Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty. Proverbs 21:5, TLB
Some days I feel like I merely react to what life demands of me. Home responsibilities, work and relational needs all crave my attention without any intentionality on my part. I am learning to refocus and be intentional about foundational life disciplines. Prayer, Bible study, financial stewardship, diet/exercise and hospitality all require pre-planning. When I just react to life, I feel unfulfilled, but when I prayerfully execute eternal goals, I’m content. Daily intentionality requires faith to do the most important and wait for the urgent to work itself out.
Steady plodding is a picture of every day faithfulness. Parenting can seem unrewarding, but in God’s timing He blesses your faithfulness to love and discipline well. Steady is an unwavering commitment to what’s right, especially when the world says you are wrong. Like grace under fire, it stays the course in patient perseverance. A steady soul enjoys the little wins along the way and stays grateful to Jesus for His blessings. Plodding may seem slow, but gets the best results. A steady plodder remains in the process of wise decision-making and waiting. Intentionality with the Lord leads to intimacy with the Lord.
“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night” (Nehemiah 1:5-6).
Intentionality is critical for the wise management of money. Who needs our generosity to experience the love of the Lord? When aggressive giving is our primary motivation, God trusts us to steward more of His resources. He wants to bless people who want to bless people. Thus, when we receive a dollar, we give first, save second and spend third. This simple process protects us from selfish indulgence. Daily generosity is the antidote to spending all on ourselves. Haste does make waste, but steady makes us ready to receive the Lord’s best. Stay steady, as you prepare and are ready for the Spirit to lead you.
Most of all, make it a habit to start the day with your Savior. Just as earthly relationships require regular care and feeding, so goes your faith in Jesus. If you only cry out to Christ in a crisis, you don’t really get to know the one who is the Lover of your soul. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before, when you are intentional in your communion with Him. Your spiritual portfolio compounds over time, as you daily dollar cost average these disciplines into our soul: prayer, worship, Bible study and community with other Christians. Intentionality with God grows your love for God and your obedience to God.
Oswald Chambers the anointed writer of the last century describes intentional living:
“If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him”.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, grow my faith and patience so I am a steady plodder not a hasty speculator, through Christ’s love and in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
What daily discipline needs my fresh focus over the next 30-days?
Related Reading
Proverbs 11:18; Hosea 10:12; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 3:14; Galatians 6:7
Worship Resource
Passion ft. Kristian Stanfill, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anna Golden: What He’s Done
Donate
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