Welcome!
Today: Man, money, master!
Passage: Pro 23
4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. 5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Pro 23, NIV 84) –emphasis added
Man is after money, but the maker is after man to tell him that man was not made for money.
God is trying to get us the message that there is more to life than money!
Money has its place/importance in life, but unless we are careful, it can take eternity away from us. If someone is committed to mammon (money), they can’t be committed to God! (I didn’t say that, but Jesus said so) – Mat 6:24
I read somewhere that Money is a bad master, but a good servant!
When we say “money”, it also includes more than just the dollar/currency. It includes all that is luxurious. There has to be a line between what we need and what we greed for. God gave allowance/provision to meet our needs. We need a job, a house, family, vehicle to travel. We need those which are basic in life. There is nothing wrong in asking God for our necessities. But again, make sure that we don’t go after our own picks. Whatever it is, ask God in prayer and wait for God to show you the right stuff. When we are in need of something, satan will also come up with a bunch of stuff to tempt us. So, we need to be careful!
When Daniel and friends were in Babylon, they had lot of opportunities. Instead of saying that they were all God’s blessings, they said “No” to many things. In today’s context and teachings, many people would say, “just pray and have it”!
When someone gets “crazy” about making more than what they need, they will have to compromise on many things. We can make ourselves “slaves” of money by compromising our time with God, family and even by not taking the rest that is needed. Life becomes “mechanical” and we will see people as “robots”!
I know people who try to make a dollar from everyone they come in contact with! They pridefully say , “I make at least a dollar from anyone I come in touch with”. Some others just follow their pattern and end up loosing everything!
There was a rich young man who once came to Jesus because he wanted to “add” eternal life to his package. Jesus said he can’t just do that. He had to get rid of one, to get the other!
Many people use ministry and cheating on taxes etc., to make money, which again can cost us eternity.
May the riches of God become our priority. If we are have a gift of the spirit, are we craving for the next?
13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. (1 Cor 14, NIV 84-emphasis added)
May God fill us with a desire for that which is spiritual!
Have a blessed day!
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for dealing with me. I admit that I have been in a spiritual poverty all this time, while I was only concerned about my material needs. I am sorry for doing so. Help me Lord, to change my priorities. Amen
“God can’t be wrong; so is His word”