January 11, 2024 – Success at Any Cost

Success at Any Cost
January 11, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 1:10-14
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

 

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

        Get all you can, can all you get, sit on the can, and poison the rest. This seems to be the world’s philosophy: acquire everything you can possibly get. Then, when you have it, hold onto it. Don’t share it with anyone; keep it. You worked hard for it. You earned it. You deserve it. Don’t worry about whom you may hurt along the way. It’s all just part of life, right? WRONG!

      Thousands of men, women, and children, just in the United States, live in cars, under bridges, and in cardboard boxes because of this particular way of thinking. Many are victims of consumer greed. During Christmas, those who are better off may toss a dollar into the Salvation Army kettle for ‘poor homeless people,’ feeling as though they’ve fulfilled their duty. Unfortunately, they may not realize how the greed prevalent in today’s consumer mentality has contributed to much of this economic hardship. For many businesses, making an extra dollar has become more important than the welfare of the people they employ. While some individuals may succumb to freezing cold during the winter months, and many families go without food or shelter, corporate executives fill their homes with extravagances and consume the livelihood of others. All for what? To earn one more dollar they truly don’t need.

      Did someone intend for this to happen? Probably not. However, decisions solely driven by the bottom line often harm the very people who rely on them. Not everyone suffers due to self-indulgence; some find themselves in dire straits because of their own poor choices. But what if your family were homeless because of thoughtless greed? Would it matter then?     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     God’s not against success. However, He’s very concerned with how we measure success. Mark 8:36 asks; “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Greed often causes social blindness and misses Calvary’s love for man. Pray for loving, humble hearts.

Is success and any cost really success?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

 

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

 

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: JANUARY 11, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
        Genesis 14-Genesis 18     /     Proverbs 1:10-14

 

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
       Genesis 25-26     /     Matthew 9:1-17