May 8, 2024 – God Or Greed?

God Or Greed?
May 8, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 11:23-25
The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

    Greed encourages greed. It almost seems bewildering how often God shares with us how we should be willing to give and give liberally.

    In our verses today, there are several comments pointed at the Christian or the righteous, such as, “the desire of the righteous is only good,” “there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth,” “the liberal soul shall be made fat,” and “he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

    We do know that within ourselves, we are not righteous; rather, we are made righteous. This transformation occurs when we place our faith in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Now, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, our once dark, angry, and greedy hearts have been transformed into lives filled with the light of the Word and the love of Christ.

    This love, which now resides within us, is why God tells us, as believers, to desire to give. Love, by its very nature, is giving. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Love is always characterized by giving. God doesn’t need our money; He doesn’t need what we’ve accumulated in our banks and lives to take care of everything in the world. What God desires is our hearts. It’s from the heart that we either love and give or become greedy.

    Today’s verses also indicate that the wicked can expect wrath if they hoard and withhold everything, ending up with nothing. Often, the reason lost people choose not to give is that they perceive the world as a greedy place. They see others who are unwilling to help one another and choose to hoard everything, only to end up with nothing. When we die, we take nothing from this earth with us. However, love will endure forever.     

 

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     In the New Testament, Jesus tells us the same principle again in Luke 6:38. It says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” Whom do you think we should believe, God or greed? 

I’ll choose God every time. How about you?

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: May 8, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    1 Chronicles 1-3
   Proverbs 11:23-25

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   2 Samuel 11-13
   Luke 24:1-35