Don't put your trust in stuff! Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."
The rich in this world-that's you…that's me…and that's okay. Prosperity is a common consequence of faithfulness. Paul didn't tell the rich to feel guilty about being rich; he just urged caution. The abundance or lack of money will only be felt for one life. Don't get tangled up in it. If you and I stockpile earthly treasures and not heavenly treasures, what does that say about where we put our trust? Glory Days happen to the degree that we trust God. Whom do you trust? God or King More?
From Glory Days
Proverbs 18
Unfriendly people care only about themselves;
they lash out at common sense.
2 Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions.
3 Doing wrong leads to disgrace,
and scandalous behavior brings contempt.
4 Wise words are like deep waters;
wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.
5 It is not right to acquit the guilty
or deny justice to the innocent.
6 Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels;
they are asking for a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin;
they trap themselves with their lips.
8 Rumors are dainty morsels
that sink deep into one’s heart.
9 A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.
10 The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;
the godly run to him and are safe.
11 The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense;
they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.
12 Haughtiness goes before destruction;
humility precedes honor.
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts
is both shameful and foolish.
14 The human spirit can endure a sick body,
but who can bear a crushed spirit?
15 Intelligent people are always ready to learn.
Their ears are open for knowledge.
16 Giving a gift can open doors;
it gives access to important people!
17 The first to speak in court sounds right—
until the cross-examination begins.
18 Flipping a coin[d] can end arguments;
it settles disputes between powerful opponents.
19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city.
Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
20 Wise words satisfy like a good meal;
the right words bring satisfaction.
21 The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
22 The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,
and he receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy;
the rich answer with insults.
24 There are “friends” who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Footnotes:
18:18 Hebrew Casting lots.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Friday, October 23, 2015
Read: Isaiah 49:13-20
Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14 Yet Jerusalem[a] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
will be far away.
20 The generations born in exile will return and say,
‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
Footnotes:
49:14 Hebrew Zion.
INSIGHT:
The book of Isaiah is a book of extremes. In chapters 1–2 Isaiah describes how far away from God the people of Israel have wandered. In chapter 3 he warns of the punishment and judgment that is coming because of their sin and disobedience. Later he discusses God’s provision to bring them back to Himself (ch. 4) and how much they will flourish despite the current and coming disasters (ch. 49). In God’s eyes there is always hope for redemption, restoration, and blessing. J.R. Hudberg
For This I Have Jesus
By Marion Stroud
The Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13
There is rarely a problem-free season in our lives, but sometimes the onslaught is terrifying.
Rose saw her entire family, except for her two little daughters, slaughtered in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Now she is a widow among many widows with little money. But she refuses to be defeated. She has adopted two orphans and simply trusts God to provide for the food and school fees for her family of five. She translates Christian literature into the local language and organizes an annual conference for other widows. Rose wept as she told me her story. But for every problem in her life she has one simple remedy. “For this,” she said, “I have Jesus.”
God knows exactly what you are facing today.
God knows exactly what you are facing today. Isaiah reminds us that God’s knowledge of us is so intimate that it is as if our names were written on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16). We may sometimes neglect the needs of others, even those who are closest to us, but God is aware of every detail of our lives. And He has given us His Spirit to guide, to comfort, and to strengthen us.
Think of the challenges you face at this moment, and then write these words beside each one as a reminder of His faithfulness and care: “For this, I have Jesus.”
Thank You, Jesus, for being near to me right now. I’m grateful for Your faithfulness.
Life takes on perspective in the light of Christ.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, October 23, 2015
Nothing of the Old Life!
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17
Our Lord never tolerates our prejudices— He is directly opposed to them and puts them to death. We tend to think that God has some special interest in our particular prejudices, and are very sure that He will never deal with us as He has to deal with others. We even say to ourselves, “God has to deal with other people in a very strict way, but of course He knows that my prejudices are all right.” But we must learn that God accepts nothing of the old life! Instead of being on the side of our prejudices, He is deliberately removing them from us. It is part of our moral education to see our prejudices put to death by His providence, and to watch how He does it. God pays no respect to anything we bring to Him. There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.
When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us, and there will come a time when there is nothing remaining of the old life. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). How are we going to get a life that has no lust, no self-interest, and is not sensitive to the ridicule of others? How will we have the type of love that “is kind…is not provoked, [and] thinks no evil”? (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God’s blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Am I learning how to use my Bible? The way to become complete for the Master’s service is to be well soaked in the Bible; some of us only exploit certain passages. Our Lord wants to give us continuous instruction out of His word; continuous instruction turns hearers into disciples. Approved Unto God, 11 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Light and The Cockroaches - #7510
Most young married couples make some purchases that turn out to be a transaction that they are not proud of. Remember something you bought back then that ended up being a mistake? My wife and I were marriage rookies when we bought that refrigerator. We were also pretty broke. We saw an ad in the paper for a cheap refrigerator. I was getting tired of just putting another block of ice in the sink in the kitchen. (Not really.) Well, we picked up the refrigerator, we sat it up in the kitchen and it worked!
One night when we returned home, we flipped on the kitchen light and saw we had company. Cockroaches were everywhere, scurrying for cover. It turns out the seller had stored that refrigerator in the basement, and roaches had gotten in and laid eggs in the insulation a long time ago, and they hatched out in their new home which was our home! Just turning on the light that night exposed a serious problem we had to deal with.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have "A Word With You" today about "The Light and The Cockroaches."
Our word for today from the Word of God, we are in Matthew 11, beginning in Verse 20. It says, "Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed." Why? Because they did not repent. You see, these people had seen a blaze of light from heaven in the form of miracles that the Lord had done in their lives. But it says "they didn't repent." He says they should have!
Verse 21: "Woe to you Chorazin, woe to you Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes, but I tell you it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than for us." He goes on to talk about Capernaum. He said, "Years ago, Sodom would have shaped up if they had seen God at work like you've seem Him. Which brings us to you and me.
Has God done some pretty powerful things in your life? Have you been an eye-witness to His grace, His goodness, to the provision of God? That's suppose to be like a bright light that shines into your life, but do you know what God's miracles on your behalf are suppose to do? That blaze of light is suppose to show you the cockroaches that need to be dealt with: sin, compromise, areas where you've been settling for less than His best.
The bottom line: His miracle should lead to your repentance. God breaks into your situation not only to deliver you, but to call you to examine your relationship with Him. God did what you asked Him to do. Now are you going to do what He's asking you to do?
In our ministry we've seen the Lord answer prayer dramatically. We've seen Him do some things that only He could do, and we've praised Him and we've thanked Him. But He's also expecting us to stand in the light of those miracles and ask, "Lord, what do you want to show us about how we can be more like you; anything you want us to change?"
See, repentance isn't just about feeling sorry for something; it literally means a change of mind. God often sends a miracle to make you reflective about your relationship with Him about your life, and then to lead you closer to Him than you've ever been before, to change something you might have never thought about if it hadn't been for the light of His miracle breaking into your life.
Now, you've got your answer to prayer; you've got your miracle from God. Jesus shone a bright light on your life. Now the light should also show you those cockroaches, the things you need to deal with that you never would have seen except in the light of the great work Jesus has done.