Reason #802
You get what you ask for. Well, sometimes. Sometimes, you don't. But that doesn't always stop us from asking does it? What if we knew that, no matter what we asked for, we'd get it right then and there? I remember my high school principal once saying that if he could have any magical power, it would be that he could pull the exact amount of change out of his pocket anytime he made a purchase. No matter how much it cost, you'd be able to afford it every time. That way, money would never be an issue.
We're going through the book of Proverbs right now, and it seems that no matter what I read, I find conviction. Even on the stuff I feel I am "good" at, I find that more work can be done. But you know what they say, the more you desire to look like Jesus, the more you realize you've got a lot of work to do to get there. Anyway, we talked about finances this morning, which is my favorite subject. I'm strangely passionate when I start talking about budgeting and spending, and I think I am in the minority on this one. I know most people roll their eyes and could care the less about money. But isn't money what drives us? Isn't money how we put food on the table and clothes on our back? Hasn't money, which buys power, possessions, and status, become the thing we turn to? Isn't it what we rely on to meet our every day needs? Don't we look to money to keep us safe and entertained? It's no secret that money is our golden calf, or should I say money is the way we get our golden calves. It's the thing we bow down to, will go to great lengths to get, and will surrender our freedom to. With money, we feel invincible. With money, we feel important. And if we don't feel we have enough of it, we'll indebt ourselves to the things we can posses on our own. The things that bind us up and hold us captive with chains that are incredibly hard to break.
But what if you don't have money? You still need it, don't you? It's like we can never get enough of it no matter how much we do or don't have. More money, more problems. More money and we forget the source of our provision. More money, and we think we've done it on our own. More money, more distractions. More money, the more we forget. We forget what it was like to rely on God for everything. We forget the joy that comes from knowing that we are taken care of regardless of our income. More money and we forget that God not only has a purpose for our lives but that He also has a purpose for our dollars. A purpose to bring honor to His name, to glorify Him, to aid in His work, and to meet needs that aren't just ours.
“Two things I ask of you, 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." - Proverbs 30:7-9
But what if you prayed like Jesus and you simply asked for your daily bread? For God's provision for your needs. Not so that you can have more but so that you can always have exactly what you need. And if you have more than what you need, you honor Him with it. And if you don't have a whole lot, you honor Him anyway. Because God is the source of all things. The source of abundance that never runs dry. A God who determines what you have, and whether that be a lot or not, it's enough. A gift straight from His hand to yours.
We shouldn't look at what others have and envy. We should be grateful for what God has entrusted to us. And if you don't think it's enough, seek Him. Ask Him. He'll make sure you have what you need. He will take care of you in remarkable ways that you never imagined. You may not live in a mansion, you may not drive a luxury car, but those things will fade away anyway. They only keep you happy for a while, but the joy of the Lord never ends.
#802 - For the joy that comes with daily bread.
"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread." - Matthew 6:8-11
We're going through the book of Proverbs right now, and it seems that no matter what I read, I find conviction. Even on the stuff I feel I am "good" at, I find that more work can be done. But you know what they say, the more you desire to look like Jesus, the more you realize you've got a lot of work to do to get there. Anyway, we talked about finances this morning, which is my favorite subject. I'm strangely passionate when I start talking about budgeting and spending, and I think I am in the minority on this one. I know most people roll their eyes and could care the less about money. But isn't money what drives us? Isn't money how we put food on the table and clothes on our back? Hasn't money, which buys power, possessions, and status, become the thing we turn to? Isn't it what we rely on to meet our every day needs? Don't we look to money to keep us safe and entertained? It's no secret that money is our golden calf, or should I say money is the way we get our golden calves. It's the thing we bow down to, will go to great lengths to get, and will surrender our freedom to. With money, we feel invincible. With money, we feel important. And if we don't feel we have enough of it, we'll indebt ourselves to the things we can posses on our own. The things that bind us up and hold us captive with chains that are incredibly hard to break.
But what if you don't have money? You still need it, don't you? It's like we can never get enough of it no matter how much we do or don't have. More money, more problems. More money and we forget the source of our provision. More money, and we think we've done it on our own. More money, more distractions. More money, the more we forget. We forget what it was like to rely on God for everything. We forget the joy that comes from knowing that we are taken care of regardless of our income. More money and we forget that God not only has a purpose for our lives but that He also has a purpose for our dollars. A purpose to bring honor to His name, to glorify Him, to aid in His work, and to meet needs that aren't just ours.
“Two things I ask of you, 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." - Proverbs 30:7-9
But what if you prayed like Jesus and you simply asked for your daily bread? For God's provision for your needs. Not so that you can have more but so that you can always have exactly what you need. And if you have more than what you need, you honor Him with it. And if you don't have a whole lot, you honor Him anyway. Because God is the source of all things. The source of abundance that never runs dry. A God who determines what you have, and whether that be a lot or not, it's enough. A gift straight from His hand to yours.
We shouldn't look at what others have and envy. We should be grateful for what God has entrusted to us. And if you don't think it's enough, seek Him. Ask Him. He'll make sure you have what you need. He will take care of you in remarkable ways that you never imagined. You may not live in a mansion, you may not drive a luxury car, but those things will fade away anyway. They only keep you happy for a while, but the joy of the Lord never ends.
#802 - For the joy that comes with daily bread.
"...for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread." - Matthew 6:8-11
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