Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 7, 2020
Do not overwork yourself just to become wealthy; have enough sense to know when to quit. As soon as you become fixed on riches, they vanish. For suddenly they sprout wings and become like a soaring eagle flying high in the sky. Proverbs 23:4-5, The Voice
Money is overrated. Like the college degree that piles up an insurmountable mountain of debt and fear, or the job that “pays well” but owns the person, who travels all the time for the family but never really knows and experiences the family, or the “perfect” relationship that after the euphoria lifts still requires regular doses of love, forgiveness and sacrifice. Money can be wise or foolish—it depends on how it is used. Build a life on the Lord who is dependable, not on money that is undependable. Let money enhance the eternal and not be the focus of the temporal. The unspoken truth is—money is overrated and faith is underrated, but God’s love is top rated.
Proverbs never ceases to satisfy—here once again is a heart captivating image of the folly in striving for riches. Like a beautiful eagle soaring close by with its snowy white head, only to drift away into the distance—an indistinguishable dark dot. Wisdom focuses on the Creator and caregiver of the bird, who numbers our every hair, and who is ever present to present us with His very best. As the Lord teaches: Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty. Emotions chase after quick riches, while the unspectacular discipline of wise spending, generous giving and regular saving provide peace and fulfillment. Love and serve Jesus—only.
“Imagine you’re a servant and you have two masters giving you orders. What are you going to do when they have conflicting demands? You can’t serve both, so you’ll either hate the first and love the second, or you’ll faithfully serve the first and despise the second. One master is God and the other is money. You can’t serve them both. The Pharisees overheard all this, and they started mocking Jesus because they really loved money. You’ve made your choice. Your ambition is to look good in front of other people, not God. But God sees through to your hearts. He values things differently from you. The goals you and your peers are reaching for God detests” (Luke 16:13-15). The Voice
You may say, “I need to work excessive hours so I can make gobs of money, then I can get away from my normal, mundane, demanding, everyday life.” What if you changed your approach? Create a life at home you don’t want to leave, so you can enjoy more time with people who love you and who you love. Spend less on elaborate trips that have the slimy residue of credit card debt that follows. Unhurried conversations at home feed the soul, calm the heart and engage the mind. Money is overrated when you try to impress those who really don’t care. Trust in God becomes top rated when you take time to emotionally engage with those who deeply care.
Make Jesus master by loving, obeying and serving Him. Money can buy a house, only the love of Jesus can make a home. Money can create image and status, only Jesus can give a heart peace, purity and security. Money can afford you to travel the globe to explore and experience diverse cultures, only to return home to discover Jesus had all you ever dreamed of where you started. Money is overrated, so make loving God and others your priority. Jesus always, always satisfies!
“Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die. So we should be well satisfied without money if we have enough food and clothing. But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:6-10, The Living Bible).
Prayer
Generous God, grow my heart of love for you, so my focus on money is less and my faith in you is more, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Check out these questions to help you grow in being rich toward God. Click Here.
Related Reading
Psalm 62:10; Jeremiah 49:4; Luke 12:21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19
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The unspoken truth is—money is overrated and faith is underrated, but God’s love is top rated. #wisdomhunters #money #truth #Jesus
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